Serfs and Suckers

Online Spaces: Are You a Serf or a Sucker?

In the age of the internet, many of us see online spaces as the new frontier of freedom and self-expression. We can connect, share, and build communities in ways that were once unimaginable. However, beneath this surface-level ideal lies a darker reality: online spaces turn us into serfs or suckers. For those getting paid, it’s never enough, while everyone else has their data stolen and manipulated. Whether through exploitation of labor or digital manipulation, we are all being conditioned to perform roles that serve platforms, advertisers, and corporations — not ourselves.

The Myth of Fair Compensation

For creators lucky enough to make money online, the paycheck is often small compared to the immense value they generate for the platform. TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, among others, have built multi-billion-dollar empires on the backs of content creators who post videos, images, and thoughts daily. While a handful of influencers may boast lucrative sponsorships, the vast majority barely scrape by, earning a few dollars for the thousands of views they generate. Worse yet, these platforms intentionally control content distribution, meaning that even successful creators can be shadow-banned or algorithmically suppressed. This throttling of visibility not only limits income but also serves as a reminder that creators are at the mercy of corporations that dictate how, when, and if they get paid.

The digital economy is structured to keep creators working more for less. TikTok, for example, only compensates creators for videos seen on the For You page, and many creators have reported unfair shadow bans, demonetization, and algorithmic favoritism that curtails their reach and income. This system amounts to wage theft, where platforms profit massively from the creative labor of individuals without compensating them fairly.

The Exploitation of Data

For those not seeking payment, the situation is arguably worse. While you may not be uploading videos for a few dollars, your presence on these platforms makes you a commodity. Every click, search, and scroll you make is tracked, analyzed, and sold to advertisers. The very essence of who you are — your interests, fears, preferences, and even unconscious desires — is extracted as raw material and turned into profit. This is digital colonialism, where the free services we use are paid for not with money but with personal data, harvested and exploited without true consent.

People often think they’re getting something for nothing when using free platforms, but what they fail to realize is that they are the product. This isn’t just about targeted ads, either. It’s about the entire infrastructure of surveillance capitalism, where companies like Facebook and Google track users across the web to build hyper-detailed profiles that can be sold to the highest bidder. In this arrangement, there are no free users — only unpaid laborers whose data is mined to feed a voracious system.

Manipulated for Performances That Don’t Serve You

It doesn’t stop at unpaid labor or stolen data. Online platforms manipulate users into performing in ways that serve the platforms, advertisers, and corporations, rather than serving their own needs or interests. Think about the endless cycle of content creation: chasing likes, follows, and validation through the curation of a digital persona. We perform for algorithms that reward certain types of behavior — the more attention-grabbing, the better. This incentivizes users to post, comment, and share not out of genuine engagement, but because these actions fuel the algorithms that keep the platform running.

Social media thrives on spectacle, controversy, and superficiality. The system is rigged so that viral content, which often rewards impulsive, performative, or divisive behavior, spreads faster and further than thoughtful or nuanced discussions. People engage in outrage-baiting or attention-seeking antics because these behaviors are rewarded with increased visibility. In essence, you’re being manipulated to act in ways that serve the platform’s goal of keeping users online longer, thereby maximizing ad revenue and data collection.

A New Age of Digital Serfdom

In this new age of digital serfdom, our labor — whether creative, emotional, or data-driven — is being harvested for someone else’s gain. The wealth generated by our participation in these platforms is funneled to a small group of tech oligarchs, while the rest of us are left with scraps or, worse, exploited for our data. We are modern-day serfs, working on a digital feudal system where the platforms are our lords and we toil for little to no reward.

Even if you believe you’re just a passive user, you are still being manipulated into a performance. Whether through the dopamine hits of likes and shares or through the psychological tactics used in algorithms, your actions are shaped to serve the platform’s bottom line. You're conditioned to create more content, engage more often, and stay online longer — all in service of someone else's profits.

Conclusion: Reclaiming Digital Sovereignty

The question then becomes: How do we reclaim our digital sovereignty? First, it requires recognizing the exploitative nature of online spaces. Awareness is the first step in pushing back against a system that thrives on our ignorance. We must demand fair compensation for creative labor and push for laws that protect our data from being freely harvested and sold. Finally, we need to resist the urge to perform for algorithms and reclaim our time, attention, and autonomy online.

Until these changes happen, remember that when you’re online, you’re either a serf or a sucker — and the system is built to make sure you never know which.