Mass Surveillance in Modern Society
“We need more cameras, and we need them now” was a headline run in Slate Magazine (qtd in Proctor).This is what the world has come to- being obsessed with cameras. Every country is installing surveillance technology which decreases the employment rates for those areas and is more expensive. Although there are many positives, do they outweigh the negatives? Cameras are increasingly invading people’s private lives which is considered to be a violation of private rights and negatively impacts a person. There are growing concerns about whether CCTV (Closed Circuit Television) has been effective and whether being watched 24/7 is mentally healthy for a person. There is also another important concern about the …show more content…
People living in the UK have a growing reason to have increased paranoia about being watched (Minton). The UK has around 4 million CCTV cameras in its towns and cities. About 25% of the population has frequent paranoid thoughts, which is the misguided thought that they are about to be attacked (Freeman & Freeman).
Lastly, a disadvantage of CCTV is with mass surveillance which can have multiple effects on a society. It can lead to a decreasing trust in the government because people feel that they are being watched by them, or that they are being watched instead of criminals. Another effect of mass surveillance is lost control over private thoughts and ideas which leads to not only the increase of stress but also increase of anxiety which could lead to a list of health issues including: high blood pressure, obesity, respiratory problems, gastrointestinal problems and even cancer …show more content…
“Do CCTV cameras make us more paranoid.” Focus. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2015. <http://www.sciencefocus.com/oup/oup-story/do-cctv-cameras-make-us-more-paranoid>.
"History of CCTV." ConvertVideo.com. N.p., n.d.Web. 25 Apr. 2015. <http://www.convertvideo.com/History_of_CCTV.htm>.
McFarland, Michael. “Why We Care About Privacy.” Saint Clara University. Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2015. <http://www.scu.edu/ethics/practicing/focusareas/technology/internet/privacy/why-care-about-privacy.html>.
Minton, Anna. “CCTV increases people’s sense of anxiety.” theguardian [London] 30 Oct. 2012: n. pag. theguardian. Web. 26 Mar. 2015. <http://www.theguardian.com/society/2012/oct/30/cctv-increases-peoples-sense-anxiety>
Pompano, Angelo J. “Privacy in the Age of Surveillance This Is Not Your Father’s Candid Camera.” Yale - New Haven Teachers Institute. Yale - New Haven Teachers Institute, n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2015. <http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/2000/3/00.03.05.x.html>.
“The Price of Privacy: Councils Spend Half a Billion Pounds on CCTV in Four Years.” BigBrotherWatch. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Mar. 2015.
“We need more cameras, and we need them now” was a headline run in Slate Magazine (qtd in Proctor).This is what the world has come to- being obsessed with cameras. Every country is installing surveillance technology which decreases the employment rates for those areas and is more expensive. Although there are many positives, do they outweigh the negatives? Cameras are increasingly invading people’s private lives which is considered to be a violation of private rights and negatively impacts a person. There are growing concerns about whether CCTV (Closed Circuit Television) has been effective and whether being watched 24/7 is mentally healthy for a person. There is also another important concern about the …show more content…
People living in the UK have a growing reason to have increased paranoia about being watched (Minton). The UK has around 4 million CCTV cameras in its towns and cities. About 25% of the population has frequent paranoid thoughts, which is the misguided thought that they are about to be attacked (Freeman & Freeman).
Lastly, a disadvantage of CCTV is with mass surveillance which can have multiple effects on a society. It can lead to a decreasing trust in the government because people feel that they are being watched by them, or that they are being watched instead of criminals. Another effect of mass surveillance is lost control over private thoughts and ideas which leads to not only the increase of stress but also increase of anxiety which could lead to a list of health issues including: high blood pressure, obesity, respiratory problems, gastrointestinal problems and even cancer …show more content…
“Do CCTV cameras make us more paranoid.” Focus. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2015. <http://www.sciencefocus.com/oup/oup-story/do-cctv-cameras-make-us-more-paranoid>.
"History of CCTV." ConvertVideo.com. N.p., n.d.Web. 25 Apr. 2015. <http://www.convertvideo.com/History_of_CCTV.htm>.
McFarland, Michael. “Why We Care About Privacy.” Saint Clara University. Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2015. <http://www.scu.edu/ethics/practicing/focusareas/technology/internet/privacy/why-care-about-privacy.html>.
Minton, Anna. “CCTV increases people’s sense of anxiety.” theguardian [London] 30 Oct. 2012: n. pag. theguardian. Web. 26 Mar. 2015. <http://www.theguardian.com/society/2012/oct/30/cctv-increases-peoples-sense-anxiety>
Pompano, Angelo J. “Privacy in the Age of Surveillance This Is Not Your Father’s Candid Camera.” Yale - New Haven Teachers Institute. Yale - New Haven Teachers Institute, n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2015. <http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/2000/3/00.03.05.x.html>.
“The Price of Privacy: Councils Spend Half a Billion Pounds on CCTV in Four Years.” BigBrotherWatch. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Mar. 2015.