The normalization of the surveillance state has gotten absolutely out of hand. My coworker's boyfriend went out drinking with a friend last night and didn't come home so my coworker was understandably a bit worried. But then after he was found alive and hungover in a friends bathtub, I had to listen to my coworkers talking about all the ways to keep tabs on the guy. Airtag his wallet. Location sharing his phone at all times. Everyone is nodding along offering suggestions like slipping airtags under his shoe insole or buying him an apple watch.
And it just devolved further into all the ways they're gonna monitor their kids when they become teenagers and keep track of where they are at all times. And like jesus fucking christ. I get being worried when you can't get ahold of someone that's not where they're supposed to be but also we need to calm the fuck down.
How are people supposed to exist when the person they're dating can monitor every time they take a different route home from work? How are kids supposed to become independent people when their parents can see every time they sneak to the convenience store during study hall?
Somehow in the last like 15 years we've slipped from serious debates on if security cameras in high schools was a violation of student privacy and if gps monitoring your kids car was overprotective parenting, to a presumption that everyone should have a security camera on their front door, their location shared at all times, and their kids microchipped.
Want to know why everyone these days has anxiety? Because it's near impossible to exist without someone watching.
