In George Orwell’s terrifying book, 1984, he presents a bleak future controlled by the ever watchful eye of Big Brother, the personification of a brutal, totalitarian regime. In Orwell’s world, one cannot escape the pervasive government surveillance. No act goes without notice.In our world today, one cannot escape the presence of the cell phone camera or handheld video device. No matter where you go, someone, perhaps many are equipped with devices at the ready to capture your next utterance, faux pas or indiscretion.
Big Brother is finally here. And we are him.
We have entered the age of mass surveillance, perpetrated by our desire to capture the world around us in digital images and the instantaneous mass sharing of this media. We may not set out to focus our lens on the activities of others, but we are often attracted to the unfortunate blunders of our fellow man.
This mass surveillance does not require orchestration by a central, controlling force. The Internet, with websites such as YouTube and Facebook, serves as a prime vessel to capture, categorize, warehouse and share the many millions of images we, the general public, decide to record, upload and download.
The Big Brother image of the 21st century looks more like a photo mosaic comprising thousands, if not millions, of little images, captured by us, then compiled and arranged in a visual sequence that presents to the observer a somewhat confusing, conflicting and disturbing picture of our current civilization. A culture made up, as it turns out, of many, little Big Brothers.
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