Do You Care If Big Brother (or Anyone Else) is Watching?

Mitch HobishGrowth

I just read an interesting analysis by Cory Doctorow, known to some (many, perhaps) as a blogger, columnist, and science-fiction author, with perspectives on the so-called information society that I find worth considering.

The piece in question deals with why in/on-the-street security cameras (known generally as CCTV) don’t deter criminals generally, and those who were involved in the recent mobs (riots) in the UK, specifically.  The analysis, Why CCTV has failed to deter criminals, raises many interesting and thought-provoking points.

I’ll not go into the article here or opine further, but reading it did put me in mind of some issues that are less acute and timely with respect to the larger community and societal issues, but nonetheless of potential import for me, you, and individuals, generally, with consequences for each of us as individuals and–ultimately–society, generally.

I invite you to read the questions, below, and to ponder.

Questions:  Do you base your behavior on the possibility that someone (else!) is watching what you do? Whether you do or you don’t, what can this tell you about yourself?  About your attitude toward yourself and society? Having thought about it, would you change your behavior? Why? Why not?