You're More Naked Then You Think
Here's something I worked on a few weeks ago for one of my university classes, about the the pros and cons of surveillance in society using new technology. I want to share it, because I feel it is a growing issue that needs to be addressed. Everyone has the right to privacy.
South Asia has a way of promoting new worldwide innovations for the benefit of the global community. Their latest invention was designed in ‘2013, called “Project Loon”’ (Spiro 2015), where Google has constructed balloons that “invisibly” fly 20,000m in the stratosphere while circling the earth. It’s supposed to bring better internet signals, however, it’s tailing everyone on earth, whilst illustrating their every move.
This amplifies the concept of global surveillance, illustrating how there are both decent yet boundaries with the new technology that is supposed to help one’s everyday life. Global surveillance utilising the media does assist the way individuals remain connected as well as initially protected. However, it can affect an individual’s way of living, thus globalisation as well. Certainly, it allows people to interrelate in a complex yet stable manner. Nevertheless, the hypermodernity is carrying hypervisibility, it camouflages certain things through secrecy, along with making us reliant on the new digital innovations as society revolutionises. Globalisation within the media, particularly surveillance, has been and is still happening faster and more effective without society’s knowledge.
International observations via media technologies create a complex then again stable interrelation between people, assisting the way individuals remain connected. With the help of social media and advanced technology, surveillance around the world keeps everyone in contact at one given time, over a constant period. Tony Chalkley suggests that ‘messages between the sender and receiver, alters as knowledge and equipment progresses, due to ideas associated with individuality and realism’ (2012, pp. 62). Over time as technology has changed for society’s benefit, the world is merging into a virtual reality, where one’s identity can be easily accessed. This can be a positive thing as the locality and globalised countries can interrelate at ease.
Screenshot of one of my tweets, retrieved 20 June 2016
Likewise, Twitter demonstrates as a perfect social media platform, where its main notion is for ‘people to connect, as well as have the world informed on up-to-date breaking news’ (Crytsal 2016, para. 2-3). Therefore, authorities don’t just observe others over social media, everyday people can too. Yet in a good way, so people remain updated whenever and wherever. This helps a complex relation become a comfortable and flexible one.
In comparison, new media technologies like the internet has made it easily possible for people to unite globally. Yet without the assistance of surveillance, this wouldn’t occur. Google demonstrates a perfect example of the way humanity has evolved. Not only does it ‘propose things that are reasonable, simple, and fast’ (Vaidhyanathan 2012, p. 14), it illustrates a clear idea of how society connects as a whole. The image of lines connecting to a range of computers is actually a reality. James Bridle mentions in a lecture video about his ‘attraction to prominence in relation to satellites’ (2015). He displays an image of many orbited satellites surrounding the earth’s atmosphere, not only initiating its complexity but also what globalisation in the media really looks like. Thus, in relation to Google, reality literally portrays what surveillance media in particular has achieved visually, with the idea of the world connecting as one.
Conversely, global surveillance employs media by enhancing hypermodernity to bring hypervisibility, which can disrupt one’s way of life. This is an innovative era filled with supporting technology, however, the community is extremely perceptible within abundant media. Individuals around the world are easily traceable with the use of surveillance, as they incorporate radical technology to conceal them. In relation to social media, ‘people do not realise how noticeable they are online’, which means there is an ‘obvious desecration of privacy’ (Trottier 2012, p. 27). As society has changed along with the virtual world, people aren’t careful with how they portray themselves. And with the new technology of surveillance, it makes it more difficult to hide from a machine, or rather resist it. For example, an ongoing project of selected photographs, called 9-Eyes by Jon Rafman, integrates images from the Google maps satellite to illustrate the surroundings that might not have been intended to be shown. This demonstrates that there is no privacy anymore, due to the high levels of technology watching everyone’s moves. Therefore, the hypervisibility of one’s life is because of the hidden cameras of a machine.
What's more, is that the community does not realise how much their identity is being exemplified to millions of strangers around the world. Elia Zureik defines ‘privacy with two features; the achievement of one’s contact with others in order to defend specific information, as well as protect against national and private intrusions into the secluded area of a person’s life’ (2010, p. 6). This clarifies that people deserve to have a private life without certain information being leaked, however this isn’t the case now with advanced technology involved. Another photographer, Doug Rickard, utilises the ‘street view aspect of Google Maps, to showcase the concern of privacy’ (New Photography 2011) in everyday life with the use of a surveillance device. Some of his works illustrate deeply personal scenes of what shouldn’t be shown. This is the power of new technology, where its apart of an individual’s life, and yet no one can see its harm because of its intended hidden agenda.
Furthermore, particular surveillance technologies can be camouflaged away from the naked eye. This can be an issue to society, as things or rather people like the government, hide stuff with secrecy which leaves one questioning reliance. Drones, which are like micro satellites that operate via remote controls and contain hidden cameras inside, will become a ‘facilitator for first-hand means for privacy and surveillance’ (McNeal 2016, p. 356). Therefore, these non-internet devices have materialised cybernetic components of what a global network looks like, however in a corruptive way. This is because of its livestreaming video and location scanners, in which can detect and observe anyone from anywhere. In relation back to James Bridle’s lecture video (2015), he talks about his work called ‘Dronestagram, where he employs Google earth to display works from drones and then posts it on Instagram for everyone to see’. This provides a clear insight as to what authorities are using to hide information, which impacts how the public puts their faith in them.
Equally, global surveillance has become something that is being used frequently, yet society doesn’t have knowledge of it, which is why it may be the cause for certain global issues in future. ‘Unmanned aerial structures can position exclusive fears to humanity’s hope of confidentiality’ (Farber 2016), as there is now a new generation where it’s difficult to hide one’s identity. In comparison, artist Adam Harvey, is aiming to decrease this by ‘camouflaging a person’s face from being detected by a drone’, in his work called CV Dazzle (2013). This can be seen as protecting oneself visually, as no one can truly hide from a drone physically. Therefore, unless surveillance technologies decrease, such as the continuous makings of drones, life globally will be impossible to live a happy one.
Additionally, society has revolutionised so much that it has made individuals reliant on the new digital innovations, hence taking advantage of it for self-preservation. Because people are benefiting from new surveillance devices, they’re secretly misusing it to destroy lives globally. ‘Drones aren’t just used for military resolutions anymore, the government, enemies and allies are too’ (Tadjdeh 2015). They have the capacity to create action from both local and further distances, inflicting a physical interaction. Thus, drones are a surveillance tool that clearly identifies what once was virtual has now become materialised. For instance, Richard Whittle talks of a military exercise called ‘Black Dart, trying strategies and skills to battle defensive drones in America, whilst attempting to construct smaller aerials for weapon usage’ (2015, p. 1 & 5). Coming from different parts of the globe, the military is using drones as a way to observe other countries secretly before attacking. Therefore, representing the idea of glocality, where data tracking and machine vision is a new way for global war threats. Which is how the public will become affected, especially if a disguising country attacks another.
Moreover, with technology constantly advancing, people are trying to keep up because they depend on it. This concept can change in an instant due to the observing machines that circle the world, and the public not having the knowledge or consent of it. And for this reason, authorities do not consider the impact of the community, but only themselves. Scott Shackford presumes the ‘national government has neglected its surveillance controls’ (2013, p. 3). Therefore, suggesting the government has utilised surveillance methods to watch certain people secretly, and impacting lives in the process. In relation, a ‘local group in Pakistan began a project illustrating installations of drones with people that the government had killed from drone practice’ (Robins-Early 2014, p. 2). This defines the global focus on local parts of the world. There is also this idea of dark mirrors, where surveillance actions are trying to remain hidden, yet activists, like this small group, are opposing media observations in order for every individual to know about it. So, there are movements being made globally in order to prevent the actions of people using surveillance technology to effect lives. However, it is difficult when those using it are employing it for personal procedures.
Ultimately, Google’s latest project, ‘Project Loon’, demonstrates are clear insight as to what globalisation in the media looks like, besides where global surveillance is heading. World observations are being supported by the latest technology in order to keep individuals connected and protected, however one’s life may be impacted in the process. Though media surveillance allows people to associate via the online world in a complex but stable manner, it’s also making hypermodernity to create hypervisibility. The same goes for shadowing particular things in secrecy, along with taking advantage of the new advances in the media for self-benefits. Therefore, global surveillance has helped everyone stay up to date quicker and faster. But in the end, the new innovations being made, will prevent rights to privacy, hence ruining humanity in the near future.
Reference List
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Chalkley, T 2012, ‘Gender & Communication: Why & How Men & Women Communicate’, Communication, New Media & Everyday Life’, Oxford University Press, South Melbourne, pp. 55-67.
Crytsal 2016, Reasons Why You Should Be Using Twitter, Patch, retrieved 19 May 2016, < http://patch.com/illinois/newlenox/reasons-why-you-should-be-using-twitter>.
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Harvey, A 2013, CV Dazzle, makeup, exhibited at UTS Arts, online gallery, viewed 21 May 2016, http://www.educ.dab.uts.edu.au/art/index.php/adam-harvey-cv-dazzle/.
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