Someone is “Always Watching”

By: Brenna Darnbrough

In today’s world, Orwell’s vision of the telescreen has become a reality in our own homes whether we have accepted this or not. We can all agree there have been so many new devices and technologies that have risen in recent years. These technologies have been extremely helpful in many aspects, making our lives easier and more efficient in a variety of different ways. How convenient is it to say, “Hey Alexa, turn on every light in the house and turn up the music” and have everything happen for you without having to do those tasks yourself. However, have you ever thought of the mechanisms behind this? Maybe there is more to it that we do not know? This is just one example, but there are a multitude of devices in our homes (computers, TVs, phones, etc.) that have the capability to watch us, listen to us, and log our behavior. If I knew my phone, laptop, speakers, earphones, TV, or anything else in my house were watching and listening to me, I may be more conscious about what I do and say. This is not because I am doing anything illegal or bad, but why don’t you think about all the times you vent to people about problems in your life or things affecting you. There are lots of details we all say out loud to friends and family in our homes in person, through phone calls, or video chats. Would you want the government or some other party to know every detail of your life – where you are going, what is happening, and what is going on with you? I would not want others listening in on personal conversations all the time. To me, this definitely oversteps the level of privacy we all deserve as individual human beings. 

Technologies like this are keeping track of our life and every move, sometimes without us even realizing it. Sure, location tracking, cameras, and voice assistants are helpful and handy in carrying out every-day tasks and getting efficient updates all the time. But, the disadvantages to these technologies include the loss of our own privacy and individualism. We become like an open book. Personally, I would not want to give up all my privacy even for the safety of our country. There should not be a decision between privacy and safety. I understand monitoring certain things around us can ensure safety for communities, so I am not saying to get rid of every security camera. However, most of these forms of monitoring are purely for conveniences just like the examples I described earlier in our homes and then turn out of control by exceeding the level of monitoring we think these devices are doing. Technology has grown so rapidly that it has already crossed the line of privacy that we all deserve and really it can only get worse, making our lives even less private then they are now.