We Are Being Watched
Posted on October 26, 2018Most of us have experienced the feeling of being watched at some points, whether it is direct action (strangers passing by on the street, friends talking with you, cameras in supermarkets) or indirect action (anonymous netizens, user researchers, cybersecurity analysts). Sometimes I wonder what gives us this kind of feeling. Are there any watchers who really exist? Besides the psychological explanation such as our unconscious feelings and our wrong assumption of being watched, there may be an important factor that matters.
A still from American television psychological thriller series You
Do You Feel A Lack of Emotional Security?
To be honest, there is a lack of emotional security of everyone in daily life when we are in the dot-com boom days. As a result, many of us tend to seek for a sense of security on the Internet. They would like to share everything that happens whether it is lucky or unfortunate and they desire for feedbacks and interactions from others in different contexts. This may be one of the reasons why people feel like being watched and in this situation, they are truly being watched!
Are We Dangerous?
When we use Google to search something we like in a website, we probably see a relevant piece of advertisement next time. It is unambiguously that Google has collected our data and analyzed our behavior. In other words, our privacy has been exposed nakedly. However, we still could not give up using Google because it is so convenient and intelligent. We even don’t have any resistance. In the past we probably have never thought about this: One day, all our information could be tracked on the Internet, just because we post a photo or a comment. Who is invading our social account? How many people are there? How will they dispose of our personal data? What are the secrets of this new challenge? How do they produce such staggering analysis, and how can we protect ourselves from their invasive power?
Are We Being Reshaped?
We are living in a digital society. The most distinctive difference between digital society and traditional society is the shift from human decision to data decision. This is leap and change of human nature, representing a new era for humanity.
In this modern century, we interact with each other everyday. Everything is being watched and connected. Watching which is a complex interaction, is closely connected with knowing. We perceive the world by reading, viewing, text and language. These involve cultural, national, and institutional contexts. Therefore when we are watching and sharing data, we tend to mix up other feelings and senses like touching, smelling and hearing. So from my perspective, a person could not seize the power in hands as an individual, power exists in a certain social context and it does interact with others. Sometimes we are not even aware of that we become commodities which are intendedly designed rather than designers who try to change outside world.
In What Ways Might We Keep Our Identity Safe?
No technology is perfect. We’d better fully understand the limitations. Almost the most irreplaceable abilities of human beings belong to designers. We could try to get rid of insecure sense or inner loneliness. There is still a long way to go before digital identity becomes a common infrastructure. Luckily there are many opportunities as we are living in non-linear times in which there may exist some positive outcomes.
‘You cannot change systems without changing yourself.’
-Geoffrey Bateson, social scientist
Big data is not just what companies need. It will not produce value by itself. It is the way that we make use of it that matters. The core value of big data is actually the relationship with every single person. Through the analysis of data, we will pay attention to neglected things and obtain insights and new thoughts. Even though we do not know what will happen until we put thought into practice because we are partly the component of systems. Every time we look at future, it changes with our gaze. And then everything is changed with our actions. Do we benefit from big data at the expense of our identity safety?
-Yipiao
Bibliography entries:
[1]Futures Center, “living in non-linear times”
[2]Sturken & Cartwright, Practices of Looking, Introduction to Visual Culture, 2017
[3]Invisible Images, Trevor Paglen, Dec 2016
[4]A Sea of Data: Apophenia and Pattern (Mis-) Recognition, Hito Stereyl, 2016