What Snowden did was prove it being any doubt to the general public. Until that time people were considered tinfoil hats mentioning it, even though the Airbus Boeing incident was well documented. But people really thought they weren't a target unless they were a rich industrialist.

If you brought up the concept that they surveiled everyone just because they can, you'd be laughed out of the room. Nobody would pay for all that, nobody would have time to look at it blabla.

Snowden made it all real. And even then, instead of a serious outrage most people just shrugged and accepted it, strange enough.