Analytical Reflection: Surveillance Scrapbook
Ben Muron English 212 Dr. Lacey June 27th, 2018
Analytical Reflection: Surveillance Scrapbook
Over the course of the creation of my scrapbook, I found that the artifacts that I selected are good representations of how I actually view the world of surveillance over the different themes that were covered. Over the themes of ethics, performance, politics, identity, and technology I found that, based on my artifact choices, a connection can be made that reflects how surveillance effects an individual’s mentality. The artifacts used can be both directly and indirectly tied to this premise of how surveillance, at its core, has a profound effect on the human mind. This connection, along with the sub connection of viewing surveillance as both right and wrong, are main underlying connections in my surveillance scrapbook. These connections are reflected in the artifacts that I chose where each specific theme plays into my surveillance scrapbook.
The first theme that was able to encompass these connections was the ethics portion of my surveillance scrapbook. Aside from articles that list potential positives and negatives, three out of the four ethics artifacts that I used were of the cartoon/video variety. In my opinion these media choices are the best in getting individuals to think about what is actually going on with surveillance. Both cartoons were centered on people being watched. The first cartoon depicts an individual who is oblivious to the fact that his searches are being watched (“Privacy Versus Safety: The Great Debate”). This cartoon reflects the ethical dilemma with search monitoring, and it also puts the idea into people’s heads that their supposedly private searches are being monitored. The second cartoon depicts a couple who has cameras all over the room with an individual telling them that they are now safe from terrorist attacks (Zheng, Hui Wen. “Chew on This: Digital Privacy & Ethics”). This cartoon also shows the ethical dilemma of surveillance since the cameras can help the couple to be safe, but at the same time their privacy is being invaded. Like the last cartoon, this image also effects the viewer’s mentality as it can provide another mental note into the ethical debate that surrounds surveillance. The last artifact worth mentioning for the ethical portion of my surveillance scrapbook, is an interview with a former FBI intelligence analyst Matthew Levitt who relays the reasoning behind intelligence gathering within the U.S (Carnegie Council. “An Honest Discussion of Surveillance and Privacy). This interview demonstrates that there is a debate out there on the ethics of surveillance, and in my opinion, acknowledging that there is a debate shows the divisive mindset that the public already has. These artifacts perfectly reflect how the ethical dilemma surrounding surveillance has an effect regarding the mentality of the world’s inhabitants.
Two themes that I found very difficult to distinguish were the performance and identity themes due to the fact that the two themes complement each other. When dealing with surveillance, an individuals perceived identity leads to their behavior, and an individual’s behavior can help shape their identity. This complementing nature arises multiple times throughout my surveillance scrapbook where I found it hard to choose which artifacts resembled which theme more. Both of these themes are rooted in the idea that an individual’s mentality is effected somewhere along the line while under surveillance. Whether it’s becoming famous through viewers (Entrepreneur Online. “How To Get Famous And Make Money On YouTube”), or having a potential relationship effected by online research (Golbeck, Jennifer. “All Eyes On You”), surveillance plays a part in shaping the identity and performance themes associated with each individual. These themes perfectly demonstrate the underlying connection of an effected mentality since the themes themselves are defined as how surveillance affects identity and behavior. Viewers of these artifacts can also have a mentality change since the artifacts can be used to strengthen an argument over whether surveillance is good or bad, and this will affect the overall outlook on surveillance.
Technology’s role in surveillance seems to be a theme that flies under the radar in terms of how it compares to the rest of the themes that were used for the surveillance scrapbook. In my opinion this can be attributed to the innocent nature of new technology, as well as how subtle surveillance technology has become. These reasons are the exact ideas that are represented with my artifact choices from my surveillance scrapbook. One artifact specifically demonstrates how the TV has evolved over the years (“How The Television Has Evolved”). This change from year to year is so subtle and innocent that no one seems to understand that each new evolution creates a new way for viewers to survey the outside world with more channels that are easy to access. Another artifact that I chose for the technology theme was an article about different spy technologies used for surveillance (“6 New Spy Technologies You Literally Can't Hide From”). The items that were mentioned seemed to fit the mold that surveillance is attempting to go off the grid with new subtle ways to survey people without their knowledge. These two artifacts tie into a quote by Howard Rheingold that I obtained from brainyquote.com that reads “You can’t assume any place you go is private because the means of surveillance are becoming so affordable and so invisible” (“Howard Rheingold Quotes”). This quote captures the essence of new surveillance technology since it is becoming so subtle that people can’t even recognize it anymore. The artifacts mentioned play into the overall connection of a changed mentality by surveillance due to the fact that once individuals understand that surveillance could be anywhere, people will be always thinking about a potential lack of privacy. To me, this theme of technology was also the central theme of the readings from Under Surveillance that we had this semester where it seemed that each new topic hinged on a different kind of surveillance technology. The theme of technology seems to go unnoticed when compared to the other themes but brings the whole topic of surveillance full circle.
Surveillance politics is a topic that I am not very familiar with, so the artifacts that were chosen reflect the very limited knowledge that I have on the subject. The political side of surveillance seems to be the front lines of the war on surveillance since that is where policies can be made to either negate or enhance different pieces of surveillance. This side of surveillance is where the good vs. bad argument shines, and many mentalities of the public are effected based on what is determined in policy meetings. Sides are chosen in this argument and nothing reflects that more than the artifacts that I chose for the politics theme since they are all centered on individuals explaining their views on surveillance, as well as how potential changes are perceived. Without the changes in surveillance that are arranged by different political meetings, there would be no such thing as the Panopticon that is referenced throughout out semester readings. Since this portion of surveillance results in real life changes, I feel as though this theme may play the most important role in funneling the rest of the themes into the change of mentality connection.
My surveillance scrapbook was able to show me just how interwoven the different themes of surveillance are. I found that each theme plays a role in defining the others and this connection is what makes the world of surveillance so diverse. In my eyes, each artifact connects to depict just how each theme brings a new perspective to the minds of viewers that shapes their mentalities. I feel as though this connection would also be made by the people that view my scrapbook both on the surface and in depth. Based on how the world is changing, and the strong opinions of each artifacts creator, I feel as though the tone of my scrapbook would appeal to the traditional way that most people think about surveillance. If everyone is able to see how each theme connects with the other, then maybe the world of surveillance can be improved for the better for each individual.
References
“6 New Spy Technologies You Literally Can't Hide From.” Cracked.com, www.cracked.com/article_18771_6-new-spy-technologies-you-literally-cant-hide- from.html.
Carnegie Council. “An Honest Discussion of Surveillance and Privacy.” YouTube, YouTube, 26 Sept. 2013, www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nfCsxAQuSQ.
Entrepreneur Online. “How To Get Famous And Make Money On YouTube.” YouTube, YouTube, 5 Oct. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=QE6_Vqe7S6A.
Golbeck, Jennifer. “All Eyes On You.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/201409/all-eyes-you.
“Howard Rheingold Quotes.” BrainyQuote, Xplore, www.brainyquote.com/quotes/howard_rheingold_560051.
“How The Television Has Evolved.” Pinterest, www.pinterest.com/pin/363736107382382344/.
“Privacy Versus Safety: The Great Debate.” The Odyssey Online, 30 Aug. 2017, www.theodysseyonline.com/privacy-vs-safety.
Zheng, Hui Wen. “Chew on This: Digital Privacy & Ethics.” Youth Are Awesome, 30 Jan. 2017, www.youthareawesome.com/chew-this-internet-privacy/.