Information Apocalypse, Part VI: Paranoia and Privacy

A major facet of the Information Apocalypse is the cumulative erosion of personal privacy. The Surveillance Apocalypse has been sneaking up on us for several years and continues to grow, aided not only by personal preferences and business advances but also by the yin and yang of technology’s convenience and opportunity balanced against its opposite, the risk to privacy and the threat to personal identity.

The Department of Defense (DoD) kicked off 2020 with a ban on the popular Chinese app TikTok. The app exploded in popularity in 2019, with its short video format and appeal to Gen Z users. The Army even used it as a recruiting tool along with Instagram and other social media platforms as part of its new recruiting strategy, the ‘Warriors Wanted’ campaign.  The Army believed 30-second videos and memes would be more effective than television commercials at audience penetration.