Have you ever experienced that Orwellian feeling that you are being watched? I’m sure at some point you have, and it’s probably because you were. Whether it’s through CCTV, data collection, or your devices tracking your every move, surveillance is utterly inescapable in modern day society. It feels like a part of everyday life, rather than something dystopian as depicted in 1984. It may be significantly more subtle than in Orwell’s Oceania, but it is this subtly that has enabled surveillance to become so normalised. Is this something we should just accept?
When you think of being watched, your mind most likely goes to CCTV and physical surveillance because of its overwhelming and visible presence in public spaces. Almost everywhere you go these days there are CCTV cameras lurking over your head – in the streets, car parks, public buildings, the list goes on. They are so common that their presence has become normal, meaning we rarely take notice of them or find ourselves second guessing why they are there. This highlights the extent to which surveillance has become completely embedded in everyday life. Additionally, the belief that security cameras are there for protection and to keep us safe contributes to their normalisation when, in reality, they can cause feelings of anxiety and uncertainty around being watched and by who. Despite this, it is something that we often ignore and learn to live with.
It is not only physical settings that we are being watched in but also digital ones. Although it is not as visible to us, digital surveillance can actually be more pervasive than physical surveillance, we just take less notice of it. As it can take place on any day and at any time, essentially whenever we use our devices, we are most definitely watched more in online spaces than in physical ones. The ways in which we can be watched are endless – browser history, app usage, purchase records, location tracking and so many more. I’m sure you’ve had the unnerving experience of talking about something and then it all of a sudden appears on your Instagram feed as an ad. Coincidence? I think not. It is most likely because your phone is listening to you. Online surveillance appears to be unavoidable, and experiences like this only lead to further anxieties and the feeling that you cannot go about your daily online activities without someone, somewhere, knowing about it. Yes, it may be harmless, and this data may never go anywhere, but you can never be sure.
Now we’ve discussed the different ways in which we are watched, let’s move on to the normalisation and acceptance of it. Physical surveillance is normalised through the idea that cameras are there for our protection, and the idea that people are only being watched to prevent and deter wrongdoing. The normalisation of digital surveillance is slightly different, with it stemming from the fact that often we don’t even realise it is happening. Since there is nothing we can really do about it unless we stop using our phones and computers altogether, we are basically forced to accept it. Also, we must note that often digital surveillance is not something imposed upon us but is instead voluntary, through the acceptance of cookies on websites, posting online, and sharing our location. For example, every time you accept cookies on a website, you don’t really know what it is you’re agreeing to, but you do it regardless. Consent like this is a huge reason as to why our behaviour and preferences are being constantly monitored.
The obvious answer to ‘are we being watched all the time?’ has to be yes. With CCTV cameras, analytics, and data collection, being watched is almost inescapable. It’s pretty difficult to live your life in our society completely under the radar unless you want to never leave your house or throw away all your devices! And to answer whether we have simply accepted it, it appears so. What was once viewed as extremely invasive is now simply a part of everyday life.