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Privacy is no longer simply the right to be alone in the digital age. Privacy is now a contested territory, an arena in which technology companies, government agencies, advertisers, and everyday individuals fight over the right to decide what is done with data. At every step we take, whether using Navigation Apps, scrolling through social media, or seeking health information, we leave a trail of data, or breadcrumbs, that are scraped, harvested, analyzed, and monetized in ways most people using technology never understand. Reflecting on the data economy, this is not a glitch, but the very system within which we operate.’ Welcome to the age of *surveillance capital*’.

Professor’ Shoshana Zuboff’(Harvard) describes we have entered the age of *surveillance capitalism*. This new organizing logic collects, extracts and commercializes personal data. Humans' lifetime experiences become a free source of raw material to be turned into profit. When we talk about *surveillance capitalism*, we are talking about a powerful, largely invisible machine that shapes questions of privacy, consent, autonomy, and democracy. 

Grasping Surveillance Capitalism

Surveillance capitalism is the commercialization of individual experience. Big Tech companies—Google, Meta, Amazon, and others—are continuously accumulating vast quantities of personal data on their users: search histories, location data, voice commands, biometric data, and social and commercial interactions. This data is not only used to improve a service, but more importantly, to anticipate—and shape—future behavior.

The predictions are sold to advertisers, political campaigns, and a host of other third-party vendors. Significantly, this model operates on an asymmetry of knowledge and power: individuals know very little about what data is being collected from them and how it is used, whereas companies know everything about their users.

This model has moved significantly beyond targeted advertising. It has grown into pricing insurance, determining employment decisions, police surveillance, and even influencing elections.

The Devaluation of Privacy

Privacy as a *human right*—expressed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in the Indian Constitution—becomes illusory inside a regime of data extraction at scale. Surveillance capitalism flourishes in darkness, implicitly excluding informed consent and relying on obscure terms and conditions that, for the most part, go unread.

Even when people try to protect their data, they are often outpaced. An app can track users in the background long after permissions have been revoked. Facial recognition systems scan public spaces without knowledge or consent. Smart devices unintentionally record conversations. This all leads to a "panopticon effect"in which people act differently just knowing that they might be observed.

The Psychological Price of Constant Surveillance

Surveillance capitalism not only impacts our data – it also can impact our minds and the way we act. When users know that they are constantly being watched, they can be pressured to engage in *self-censorship*, have anxiety, and lack spontaneity.

Psychologists argue that constant surveillance erodes one’s *sense of agency and identity*. Social media algorithms (that use surveillance data) try to reward the user by only providing content that validates their existing belief systems, therefore creating echo chambers and fostering polarization. In addition, digital manipulation based on personalized psychometric profiles—for instance, Cambridge Analytica—was able to successfully nudge voting choices, product preferences, and emotional manipulation.

We are now heading toward a world where surveillance is both external, as well as an internalized phenomenon. We are now shifting into an arena where the difference between persuasion and manipulation is disintegrating.

The Real-World Impacts

1. Cambridge Analytica and Electoral Manipulation

One of the archetypal examples of surveillance capitalism was the Cambridge Analytica scandal, where the data of 87 million people was collected from Facebook, without consent, and then used to interfere with various elections, including the 2016 U.S. Presidential, and the Brexit vote. This case made evident the ways in which predictive data models could manipulate consumer behaviours—or as was done nefariously, the fate of an entire democracy.

2. China’s Social Credit System

In China, surveillance capitalism meets state control. The state deploys AI smart surveillance along with data collection to support a social credit system where individuals receive an often-numbered score based upon their behaviours, financial background, and even friendships. If an individual has a low score, he or she can be prevented from travel, prohibited from being hired in certain jobs and shamed by a social scorecard. Although state controlled, the system highlights the extent to which surveillance can determine opportunities and freedoms in real life.

3.Aadhaar and Digital Identity in India

India's *Aadhaar system*—the largest biometric ID program in the world—was intended to be a system for accessing welfare and promoting digital inclusion. But when Aadhaar was adopted by public services, banks, and telecoms the governmental side of the database caused serious privacy risks (e.g., data leaks, surveillance, misuse of biometric data).

In 2017, the *Supreme Court of India* held that *privacy is a fundamental right,* but the Aadhaar infrastructure raises challenging questions about how data protection will manifest in developing democracies.

The Contribution of Civil Society and Digital Literacy

While legal frameworks are important, *public awareness, activism by civil society organizations*, and campaigns to empower citizens are also crucial in addressing the challenges of surveillance capitalism. There are many organizations doing good work in advocating for rights relating to privacy including the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), the Mozilla Foundation, and India's Internet Freedom Foundation.

Digital literacy is also important. People should know how algorithms work, what data they produce, and how they should protect themselves. Schools, universities, and governments should invest in education to help users take the next step in their digital lives responsibly.

Lastly, media literacy helps a citizen to see the manipulation and misinformation involved with a society that depends on recommendation engines based on surveillance.

Is Ethical Technology Possible?

Surveillance capitalism is not the only possibility for online user engagement: there are *alternative business models* and technologies where users enjoy privacy and actual control over online engagement: 

- With *Privacy centered browsers* such as Brave and Firefox, the technology neither tracks user behavior nor sells data. 

- With *decentralized platforms* Unlike Mastodon and Solid, users own their data and can connect with each other without worrying about being surveilled by a central entity.

- The end-to-end, encrypted communication app Signal has made privacy a main feature of the tech (albeit they do charge for the app). 

Do some tech companies - such as Apple - help users by marketing privacy as a feature? Sure, but some contend that this commercially driven marketing has more to do with disassociation from the "evil" meaning of online engagement rather than a true philosophical shift. 

At the end of the day, if ethical technologies and technologies truly concerned with privacy are going to snowball into development and adoption, users (demand!), investors (excitement!) and regulators (intervention!) need to be involved.

Resisting the Invisible Empire

We're living in an age of surveillance capitalism and this is well beyond our understanding and acquiescence—without ever really knowing the depth of our complicity. We've been conditioned and controlled through our phones, fitness trackers, smart homes and social media so that everything we say or do is sucked-up, refined, measured and analyzed into making choices for us.

However, the good news is that there is a growing global effort behind protecting our right to privacy, demands for transparency, ethical technology, regulation and practice-change that is mounting. Governments are making legislative changes, civil society is mobilizing, and public consciousness is rising in response to the now-dominant surveillance model.

To think that protecting our privacy is only a matter of stopping a data breach, turning off Location Services on our devices, etc., trivializes the significance of what is actually at stake: *our autonomy, democratic liberties, and the very essence of human dignity* in a world that is increasingly algorithmically driven and profit motivated.

In other words, if surveillance capitalism is the infrastructure of control, then the fight for privacy represents the movement of resistance, and it needs participants, advocates and courage.

ARTICLE BY- ANANYA AWASTHI 

Indian toy sector is making a sudden transformation. The traditional formula market led by conventional as well as entertainment-driven products is becoming more dynamic in which technology, learning, and innovation converge. Next-generation smart toys — predominantly those founded on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) and play-learning — are revolutionizing early childhood.

With more demand for learning value, brain stimulation, and interactive play, the toy market is fast emerging as a profitable driving force behind learning success, skill acquisition, and e-literacy. It also leads a broader transformation in early learning delivery. 

From Rote Memorisation to Play-Based Learning

Experiential and child-directed discovery is facilitated by imaginative play, role-play, and other activities by play-based learning. Additionally, the process enhances children's imagination and curiosity through participation in activities that challenge their knowledge of the world.

In such environments, teachers act as facilitators, rather than in other contexts - more of guidance than instruction, i.e., encouraging early problem-solving, emotional IQ, and independent thought. Such education does not just encourage fundamental academic learning but also complements social interaction, language development, and physical skills — creating a comprehensive learning foundation for life.

STEM Toys: Learning By Doing

The knowledge gap of the theoretical principles of the current system is being addressed with STEM toys. They transfer science, technology, engineering and mathematics principles in an interactive way. Model making, basic experiments, coding of robots, etc., are a few of them. Besides, by giving outward expressions of abstract ideas with concrete outcomes, STEM toys increase children's ability to learn and memory power.

Such toys are developed with the goal to intellectually stimulate children. They encourage children's observation, logical reasoning, and imagination in their minds. Furthermore, STEM play interactivity improves problem-solving abilities and ingrains innovation thinking at a very early age.

Working with the Digital Generation and Technology

Incorporation of technology in toys is now very trendy in India, due to the extensive use of digital natiaves and smart devices. Internet of Things, AR and app connectivity are incorporated into connected, smart interactive toys. Again, it enables interactive learning from static play.

These advancements that are implemented in toys have become widely adopted worldwide as a result of their digital nature. Some of them include dynamic feedback, adaptive difficulty, individualized content, etc. All these put together have made learning personalized and richer. Intelligent toys are also well-apt for emerging models of education. So, interaction is maximized without sacrificing developmental usability and safety.

Developing Analytical and Motor Skills

Intelligent toys build mind-building by instructing basic thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making. Intelligent toys prompt children to engage in playing with cause-and-effect thoughts, spatial sense, and logic. Legos construction kits and building toys require children to think strategically, plan, and resolve problems.

Such toys also help in the creation of critical cognitive skills that will last them a lifetime. Secondly, such Lego toys also have to be learned with regard to which the fine motor skill of the child is enhanced. In manipulating, stacking and moving objects in such toys, they attain hand-eye coordination and handiness.

Market Size and Innovation

India's toy industry is expected to reach USD 3 billion by 2028. This is with policy support, incentives in the direction of domestic manufacturing as well as product design value addition. Newer technologies such as 3D printing, AR, etc., are making it easy to prototype and facilitate highly interactive experiences. Retail models are evolving. Omnichannel models now combine e-commerce convenience with innovations at the store level such as AR displays and interactive kiosks.

Concise and to the point, the Indian toy industry is at the crossroads now, as it is turning the game of play into a super powerful learning machine. While intelligent toys continue to upgrade themselves to their own extent, not only will they shape the child years. Rather, they will equip the children with the minimum requirements to design a smarter, brighter, curious, and technology-facilitated generation. The intersection of play, technology, and learning will define the future of Indian education, enabling smart toy to smart toy.

In a harrowing incident that has set off a chain reaction of outrage, girl students in classes 5 to 10 at RS Damani School in Shahapur, Thane district, were forced to strip and get a menstruation check by school authorities after blood spots were seen in a school toilet.

As per police sources, the incident happened on Tuesday when school officials allegedly found blood stains in a washroom. What ensued has left parents, child rights activists, and teachers in the state stunned. The administration, rather than addressing the issue sensitively, apparently called some girls to the toilet and questioned them about whether or not they had their periods. Parents also allege that some of the students were asked to take off their underclothes for inspection.

The psychological effect on the students has been traumatic, with some reported to be in a state of shock. "Rather than educating these girls about menstruation—a natural physiological process—they have been embarrassed and subjected to enormous mental pressure," said one parent who wished to remain unnamed when approached by NDTV. "This act is shameful and a gross violation of child rights. We want the principal arrested without delay."

After protests by the parents at the school on the following day, the police have intervened and registered a case since then. The principal is also being questioned.

The incident has led to a fresh clamor for menstrual education in schools and more sensitivity on the part of educators. Activists have condemned the ignorance and insensitivity displayed by the school administration, particularly in the case of such a natural phenomenon of adolescent health.

As the probe goes on, parents and rights organizations are calling for answers and severe action against the perpetrators. The education department is also bound to undertake an internal investigation.

The idea of a 4-day workweek is no longer just a fringe theory or some Scandinavian social experiment. It’s being talked about seriously,in boardrooms, HR departments, Twitter threads, and coffee breaks. Around the world, it’s already being tested. Companies are trimming the workweek, not the paycheck, and many of them are seeing surprising results i.e happier employees, fewer sick leaves, and perhaps most unexpected of all equal or even improved productivity.

But here’s the real question-Is India ready for something like this?

India’s work culture has always been intense. Long hours are standard, and overtime is more of an expectation than a bonus. We’ve internalized the idea that the more time you spend at your desk (or on your laptop at home), the more valuable you are to your team. “Work-life balance” often becomes just another line in job descriptions which is rarely something that feels tangible.

So, suggesting a 4-day week can sound, frankly, unrealistic. But is it really?

A few Indian companies have already started experimenting. Some startups offer occasional 4-day weeks to help employees reset. Larger firms, like Swiggy, introduced policies like monthly “wellness days” or flexible work-from-anywhere setups. These may not be permanent shifts to a 32-hour week, but they’re testing the waters. Quietly, cautiously but meaningfully.

The global context matters here. In 2022, a UK trial involving dozens of companies tried out a 4-day workweek for six months. The results? Most of them kept it. Employees were less stressed. Productivity remained steady or even went up. And companies didn’t lose money. In fact, some saved on overhead costs and attrition.

That kind of success is hard to ignore. But transplanting those results directly into an Indian setting isn’t so simple.

A huge chunk of India’s workforce isn’t sitting in air-conditioned offices. They’re in factories, fields, retail shops, construction sites, delivery routes. For them, fewer workdays could mean fewer wages. In the informal sector, which makes up over 80% of the country’s employment, a day off is often a luxury they can’t afford and not something an HR department can grant.

Even in the formal sector, challenges remain. Many Indian companies operate on tight timelines, often dictated by clients in different time zones. The pressure to be “always on” isn’t just internal, it comes from global competition. Shaving a day off the week might mean rethinking how work is planned, tracked, and valued. That requires more than just optimism. It demands systems, discipline, and a big shift in mindset.

And that mindset shift might be the hardest part.

We still reward presence more than performance. An employee who stays late is often praised, even if they weren’t particularly effective during the day. There’s a deep-rooted belief that long hours equal hard work. Until that changes, shorter weeks may be seen as slacking off, not smart planning.

But culture doesn’t change all at once. It changes through cracks,through people questioning old assumptions and trying new things. And right now, those cracks are forming. The pandemic forced organizations to trust employees to work remotely. Many found that output didn’t drop. Some even admitted it got better. That trust, once rare, is now growing. And with it, so is the space to ask new questions.

What if more hours doesn’t always mean better results?

What if giving people more time off actually makes them more focused when they’re working?

What if being “productive” isn’t about staying online until midnight, but about solving problems efficiently,and then logging off?

India may not be ready for a sweeping, nationwide shift to a 4-day workweek tomorrow. But it is ready for the conversation. Some sectors will move faster than others. Tech, media, and startups might lead the way. Manufacturing and frontline services may follow more slowly, with different models. That’s okay. Progress doesn’t have to be uniform.

The bigger point is this: we’re starting to question whether the old ways of working still make sense. And that’s where change begins,not with bold declarations, but with curiosity, with experiments, and with a willingness to rethink the things we’ve taken for granted.

A 4-day workweek in India isn’t impossible. It just needs the right people to take it seriously. And increasingly, they are.

 By Aditi Sawarkar

There’s something oddly comforting about framing your life like a movie, as if it gives meaning to the quiet, messy, in-between moments. You step onto a train platform, the wind catches your coat just right, and in your mind, the camera pans out as a soft indie track fades in. You feel like you’re not just existing—you’re living. And not just living, but starring. That’s the idea behind what’s now casually called Main Character Syndrome

While it’s not a clinical diagnosis, it’s more like a cultural shorthand for a mindset ,seeing yourself as the main character in your own life. At its best, it can be a healthy and empowering way to understand your experiences.

Why It Can Be Empowering

At its core, Main Character Syndrome is about being your own agency. It encourages people to take charge of their choices, pay attention to their surroundings, and move through life with intention. Rather than feeling like a background extra in someone else’s story, you’re placing yourself front and center. 

For some, especially those with a history of emotional neglect, isolation, or trauma, Main Character Syndrome can become a form of psychological self-preservation. It allows people to rewrite their role in painful memories, to imagine control where there was none, and to create meaning out of things that once felt senseless. In that way, it can be healing.Seeing yourself as the main character can help you reclaim the sense of control that trauma may have taken  away.But when it becomes the only way to feel seen or safe, it starts to shift from empowerment to coping mechanism,from creative lens to emotional armor.

There’s a quiet kind of freedom in letting yourself feel important , not in a dramatic or self-centered way, but in a gentle, personal one. It can mean taking yourself seriously. Leaving a job that drains you. Saying no without guilt. Dressing the way you want even if no one understands it. Doing things for you, not just for how they look from the outside, but because you recognize your own worth.

This mindset can also help people find meaning in the mundane. A late-night walk, a difficult conversation, a moment of solitude,they become part of a larger arc. The boring or hard parts of life aren’t detours; they’re part of the plot. That kind of framing can help you stick through low points, because the story isn’t over yet. It gives emotional weight to otherwise overlooked experiences.

It can also foster creativity. People with a main-character mindset are often more reflective, more observant, and more inclined to notice beauty or metaphor in everyday things. They’re building a narrative in real time, and that can inspire writing, art, or even just deeper self-awareness,In this sense, Main Character Syndrome isn’t just about self-indulgent daydreaming , it’s a way of engaging with life that helps people feel more alive and more present.

Where It Starts to Get Complicated

But here’s the other side of  the same mindset that can uplift you and can also distort reality.

When the focus is always on your story, it’s easy to forget that everyone else is living theirs, too. People don’t exist just to enter and exit your narrative. They have entire inner worlds of their own ones that don’t revolve around you. When Main Character Syndrome is taken too far, it can oversimplify those complexities. Friends might be seen as mere “side characters,” strangers as background extras, and conflicts as plots.

There’s also the danger of turning real life into a performance. If you're always the lead in your imagined screenplay, then you’re always aware of the “audience,” even if that audience only lives in your head. You start to ask: how does this moment look, instead of how does it feel? Your choices might start to drift toward aesthetic coherence over genuine satisfaction.

That can spiral into disconnection. From yourself. From others. From the present moment.

And then there’s the emotional toll. When you’re constantly trying to find narrative structure in everything, life’s messiness can feel like failure. Real growth isn’t always cinematic. Sometimes it’s slow, confusing, or even invisible. If you expect every setback to be a setup for a perfect redemption arc, the mess will start to feel unbearable.

The Balance

The truth is, we’re all main characters in our own stories  and background characters in others’. You might be the focus in your life, but in someone else’s, you’re just a passing moment. The most grounded version of Main Character Syndrome is the one that keeps this important aspect in mind

Use the lens when you need help to  take  the ownership of your own  life. When it reminds you that you matter. When it encourages you to care about your own experience. But put the lens down when it starts to make you believe that you’re more real than anyone else.

Sometimes the story isn’t about you. Sometimes your moment isn’t being watched. And sometimes the most meaningful parts of life don’t feel like anything much at all. That doesn’t make them less important. It just makes them human.

So is Main Character Syndrome empowering? Absolutely. Can it be escapist? Definitely. The key is knowing when to use it and when to step out of the spotlight.

By Aditi Sawarkar

In a uplifting vote of confidence for government education, Andhra Pradesh HRD and IT Minister Nara Lokesh on Sunday praised a band of school teachers who have admitted their own children to government schools, referring to them as the real "Brand Ambassadors for Government Education."

Going to social media platform X (previously Twitter), Lokesh complimented the teachers for the continued faith and commitment in the government school system. He observed that the academic achievements of their children are a reflection of the quality of education in public schools—often comparable to or even superior to private schools.

"Master stars such as these are our 'Stars' Brand Ambassadors for Government Education. Hats off to you," Lokesh applauded, praising the teachers not only for their professional work, but also for setting a personal example.

Lokesh particularly mentioned:

Bonthu Madhubabu, School Assistant of Jinnur ZP School in Podur Mandal, West Godavari

Babu Rajendra Prasad, Gym Teacher at Pangidigudem High School

Veeravasarapu Balakarunakara Rao, Teacher at Somaraju Cheruvu Primary School

All three have opted to send their children to government schools, and the high scores obtained by the students have become beacons of excellence of the potential of public education.

"The achievement by your children who attended government schools is a direct proof that government schools are superior to private schools," Lokesh underlined.

The post gained popular support rapidly online as users praised the teachers for their stand and the state government for building confidence in government schools.

The move comes as Andhra Pradesh pursues its efforts to transform and raise government schools through infrastructure improvements, digital education platforms, and teacher capacities–as part of an overall effort to make quality education affordable and equitable.