The hardware area includes manufacturers of digital devices that extract and use social data, from laptops and tablets to phones and watches to gaming consoles, robots, cars, drones, and so on. A manufacturer of a “dumb” television set would not be part of the social quantification sector, but any manufacturer of a “smart” device (a product that collects and analyzes information about its user) would be included. This sector also includes the manufacturers of the infrastructure required to run the social quantification sector (routers, servers, transmitters, and so on) and the service providers that deploy hardware to deliver internet and phone access to individuals.

Nick Couldry & Ulises A. Mejias, The Costs of Connection, loc. 196