As more and more people become disillusioned with social media, a new breed of grifter blaming old human follies on technology is trying to cash in on their misery.

In a move straight of a Dickensian cyberpunk novel, a Chinese app alerts citizens if someone in debt is within 500 meters, and encourages spying on their spending habits.

Tech skeptic Evgeny Morozov doesn't seem to think smartphone app users have any agency or free will.