Privacy & Fashion

I once caught myself accidentally eavesdropping on someone playing Pokèmon Go, and my metal reaction was “People are still playing that?, isn’t it not cool?”. Well, that was my first thought anyway.

People’s choice of games is not a matter of fashion. No one expects others to be regularly shoulder-surfing their games to approve/disapprove of their choices. Instead, one’s choice of game, especially after any hype is over, is purely a matter of enjoyment.

There’s something beautiful about being able to choose something without considering what others will think about it. If we give up enough of our privacy, we won’t have anything left like that: it’ll all become fashion, signaling, and posturing.