Marketers use big data profiling to predict who is about to get pregnant, who is likely to buy a new car, and who is about to change sexual orientations. That's how they know what ads to send to whom. The NSA, meanwhile, wants to know who is likely to commit an act of terrorism - and for this, they need us.

A new car is not going to change your life.

We Facebook users have been building a treasure lode of big data that government and corporate researchers have been mining to predict and influence what we buy and for whom we vote. We have been handing over to them vast quantities of information about ourselves and our friends, loved ones and acquaintances.

We're going to test with the same car, but we have a new car ready.

Here is a new car, a new iPhone. We buy. We discard. We buy again. In recent years, we've been doing it faster.

People think getting a new partner is like getting a new car.