Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you.

This oft-repeated mantra of paranoia still makes me smile. The statement both recognizes the mental aberration and affirms its existence.

But are we paranoid ENOUGH? Consider recent, technological “advances.”

• Cell phones track our physical location.
• Cellular companies promote thumbprint and facial recognition technology.
• After searching for a purchase on the Internet, ads for the same product suddenly appear on multiple electronic platforms.
• Cars’ GPS document our driving patterns.
• Doorbell cameras share video with parent companies and law enforcement.
• Security and traffic cameras along with license tag readers record our movement.
• Alexa, Siri, and their sisters record home conversations.
• Social media accumulates gigabytes of personal information.
• Credit companies gather extensive financial information.

In 1984, people would have revolted against governments and businesses that wanted to track our location, record our words, video our actions, and monitor our lives. Today we willfully volunteer this information without a second thought.

Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you.