Why is there such a market for “smart” devices? Despite some railing against the “Insanely Dangerous Internet of Things (IDIOT)”, digital assistants and smart-home devices are quite popular. It can be difficult these days to buy a TV that will not watch you back. Your frig can be internet connected, and place food orders independently (!) And your routers have been hacked.
I believe that what people are buying is the illusion of lordship. We can’t have an army of human servants jumping at our every whim unless we are billionaires. But even middle class folks can have Alexa to do whatever they say.
And sometimes what they don’t say.
Alexa records and transmits private conversation
Upper classes have learned over and over [and then ignored and forgotten the lesson]: servants hear and see everything. And they gossip.
Now America’s middle class is failing to learn the same lesson.