SURVEILLANCE SOCIETY

The world’s population has been increasing since the beginning of time . Along with this, a lot of technological developments have occurred. Although the technological revolution has contributed enormously to social life, it also prevents privacy. For example, there are a lot of cameras which monitor people’s daily lives. Thus, a new social concept has emerged : The surveillance society. It is a much debated topic as there are some advantages and disadvantages that surveillance brings.

To begin with, there are many advantages to monitoring a society. Criminal tendencies  become less widespread in such a society because people know that if they commit a crime in a public area, they will  be identified, caught and punished easily. Cameras have become  the  eyes of the public conscience and they are everywhere even if there are no people around . Thus, there isn’t any crime without a penalty Besides these, the pursuit of public work and intervention is  easier in these societies. For example, traffic cameras observe the roads and check the cars to see if they  obey the rules or there can be a speedy response to a traffic accident thanks to city surveillance cameras. Moreover, families can observe their children at home when they work. In terms of security, cameras are necessary and they facilitate  daily life.

Beside the advantages, there are many disadvantages of constant surveillance. It is not always right for there to be a lot of cameras everywhere which observe daily life. It kills (eliminates)  privacy. In addition, observation can lead to anxiety in some people if they are aware of it. For example, a person who knows he is being observed at work by her/his boss can grow anxious (behave anxiously) ; therefore, her/his performance can decrease. Furthermore, surveillance includes the use of  some communication channels such as social media channels. Although people use these channels for fun or to communicate with their friends, they don’t know that other malicious people might also hack into their private life easily. For example, shared photos or information can be used by others for bad purposes. Another example, when a person applies for  a job, bosses gain a misleading impression before they know the applicant because of social media accounts belonging to her/him.

In conclusion, almost every society has begun to become a surveillance society now  with the entry of technology into their lives. Although monitoring  life creates a bad image in people’s mind, there are both advantages and disadvantages of  surveillance. However, surveillance is here at stay. In the modern world, people should know that they can be observed any time by others in their daily lives and act accordingly.

.