Many of us are aware that being watched is no longer an Orwellian paranoia, but a contract we’re signed into when using and consenting to digital technology.
It’s worth asking ourselves before filming someone for the sake of content – unless we are at risk of harm and are documenting evidence of abuse – how would we feel if we were the person being filmed.
The fleeting nature of content and virality can trick us into thinking this video will all be forgotten within a day, and maybe for the watcher, but for the watched, this becomes inscribed into their digital footprint forever.
Our cultural norms have shifted, making peer to peer surveillance more acceptable, whilst the tech companies giveus tools that make it ever so convenient to spy on our own communities.