McSweeney's Issue 54: The End of Trust(2018)

Michael ChabonAimee BenderCarol Emshwiller

Is this era of unprecedented, low-level distrust―in our tech companies and our peers, our democracy and our justice system―we never know who's watching us, what they know, and how they'll use it.

Our personal data must be protected against Equifax hacks, doxxing, government tracking, and corporate data mining. Meanwhile, we wade through an unprecedented amount of disinformation and deception. Fake news and Russian-purchased propaganda are woven into our media diets, and anonymity on the internet leaves us ever suspicious.

In the face of this, rather than seek privacy where we can, we eagerly offer up our remaining details to social media, craving the surveillance and scrutiny of our peers. We're unsure of how all of this is affecting the moral development of a generation coming of age in this new culture of surveillance, but we continue on. It leads us to wonder if we've reached the end of trust, and if we even care.