"Invasion" of Privacy, or an Invitation?

I realize I'm a bit behind on this subject in terms of its publicity (and therefore much of its volatility), but I was just reminded of it twice already this week, as my phone told me that some applications are in need of updating and I purchased a new computer.  In the case of the phone, I've been informed that the Facebook app needs to access "additional permissions", including

• Your messages - "allows application to read SMS (text) messages"
• Take pictures - "allows application to take pictures and videos with the camera...at any time the camera is seeing
• Your personal information - "allows an application to...add, remove, change events (on your calendar)"; "allows an application to read all calendar events stored on your phone"; "allows an application to read all of the contact data stored on your phone"; "allows the application to read personal information stored on your device"

And these are only the new ones.

As for the computer, I had been happily running Windows XP for, well, the my entire life of owning a computer, but just upgraded to a Windows 8 operating system.  I must say, and I can't be the only one, I am astounded by how much information we're giving out about ourselves to the very instruments that already cause so much grief.  I realize I sound like a Luddite here, but the amount of personal information required is getting out of hand. I just learned that for new versions of Office, an email address is kept on file so that documents can now be saved to the "cloud".  Cool, alright, I get it. One can now access them from any device, at any time, and share them with whomever, however, they see fit. But doesn't it strike anyone else as odd that we rage against "the man" collecting our data when we post it online willy-nilly?

So why exactly are we so upset with this whole "invasion of privacy" thing?  I mean really.  I can't be the only person who's recognized that our "privacy" went out the window a long time ago.  The above examples are for one single application on my phone and a personal computer that may be getting a bit too personal. Consider the following additional examples (by no means an exhaustive list):

• Online banking
• Quickbooks
• Income tax software
• Credit cards
• GPS
• Email
• Facebook
• MySpace
• Twitter
• Search engines
• On-Star
• LowJack

We've been willingly giving out our information - our names, our interests, our spending habits, our very location - for over a decade. Every site we visit, every search term, every call, every text, every email, every single post that makes us lol, hell, every book we check out from the library, someone, somewhere, is seeing it.  We don't seem to have an issue with our search engines shuffling through our information to better direct ads to our individual interests.  "Well," you argue,"that's not an actual person doing it, it's all automated!"  Of course it is!  So do you really think the NSA has enough operators to listen to every single phone call happening everywhere all the time?  Pretty sure our unemployment rate would drop to zero.  And if you really think your phone is being tapped and your calls are being listened to, either you have a very high opinion of yourself, or you're probably doing something you shouldn't.

The way I see it, the only reason we have lost all semblance of privacy is because we've chosen to.