Afrasianet - Younis Al , Didi - In the Middle Ages, feudal lords owned land, forcing peasants to work in it in exchange for false protection and sustenance. Today, the tools and names have changed, but the essence remains the same. Amazon, Google, and tech giants have become the "new feudal lords," but their enslavement has become softer and less visible. We are not slaves in the traditional sense, but we serve these companies unconsciously, thinking we are free.

Today, we also work, but work has changed shape. We create content, share data, and build the reputation of these companies through our daily interaction.

Slavery with a new face

In the past, slavery was obvious: either inside or outside the feudal system. Today, slavery has changed shape and become more subtle. Big companies offer us "free" services, which seem to give us freedom, but in reality enslave us in invisible ways; Google gives us a fast search engine, Amazon provides us with easy shopping, but the price is our personal data and digital freedom.

Competition, supposedly the basis of capitalism, has become an illusion. Amazon and Google don't compete with others; they swallow them up. Small businesses either join their platforms or disappear!. We, as users, gently push to use their services, simply because they are "the best" or "easiest". But do we realize that we choose prison with our own hands?

The effort we carry on our shoulders

In the old feudal system, slaves worked in the fields under the scorching sun. Today, we work too, but the work has changed shape. We create content, share data, and build these companies' reputation through our daily interaction.

Google relies on our research to develop its algorithms, and Amazon uses our purchases to strengthen its market dominance. We work without pay, but we think we are "consumers" or "users."

The old slaves knew they were enslaved, but today we believe we are free. We choose Google and Amazon services freely, but we don't realize that this freedom is illusory! The choices we believe are available to us are in fact limited by the control of these companies.

Google isn't the only search engine, and Amazon isn't the only online store. There are platforms that respect our privacy

Digital slavery: Are we really free?

The difference between us and the old slaves is awareness; they knew they were enslaved, but we thought we were free. Google knows everything we look for, and Amazon knows everything we buy. Our data has become a commodity to be bought and sold, and we hardly notice that.

Big companies manipulate us in clever ways; Google uses its algorithms to guide our thinking, and Amazon uses its recommendations to determine our choices. We think we're in control of our decisions, but we're actually following the paths that these companies are charting for us.

Is there a way out?

Modern feudalism is not inevitable, awareness is the first step towards emancipation; we need to realize that "free services" are not free, and that our data is the price we pay, we need to support alternatives that respect our privacy, and reduce the control of giant corporations.

Alternatives: Resistance to Modern Feudalism

The good news is that there are alternatives; Google isn't the only search engine, and Amazon isn't the only online store. There are platforms that respect our privacy, such as the search engine "DuckDuckGo", which does not track its users, and the "Signal" platform, which provides secure messaging without collecting data.

But these alternatives will only flourish with our support, we need to consciously choose them, even if they are less known or slightly less comfortable. Every purchase we make from a convenience store instead of Amazon, and every search we make on DuckDuckGo, instead of Google, is a step toward reducing the control of the new feudal lords.

Modern feudalism is not inevitable, it is a system we have made, and we can change it. Awareness is the first step, and conscious choices are the path to liberation!

Collective Power: Change Starts with Us

Change does not happen individually. We need to spread awareness among our friends and family. When we share articles about the risks of data collection, or discuss the importance of privacy, we contribute to building a collective movement against modern feudalism.

Governments also play an important role; we need legislation that protects our privacy and limits the monopoly of big companies. In Europe, GDPR was a step in the right direction, but we need more, we need laws to prevent these companies from becoming digital feudalists.

True freedom: our choices determine our destiny

In the end, true freedom is not just the ability to choose, but the awareness of the consequences of those choices. When we choose services that respect our privacy, when we support small businesses, when we spread awareness, we begin to break the shackles of modern feudalism.

Modern feudalism is not inevitable, it is a system we have made, and we can change it. Awareness is the first step, and conscious choices are the path to liberation! Let us be aware, and let us work together to build a world where we are not slaves to technology, but masters of it.

This article attempts to uncover the modern feudalism we live in, where big corporations have become the "kings" of the digital age, and we are the "slaves" who unknowingly serve them. Consciousness is the beginning of the path towards liberation from this soft enslavement.