Arizona sounds like a cool idea for the spring break, don’t you think? My friend from Saint Petersburg lives there with her family. I just want to relax for a week, go to the Grand Canyon, drink mezcal at some cute local bar and spend quality time with my girl. I go bed with sweet thoughts about my little vacation.
Mondays’ evenings usually are not very busy at my work. I am on my phone buying some cosmetics online, texting with my friends, checking my homework on blackboard and doing a lot things that I am not supposed to be doing at work. Should I plan my trip in advance and buy tickets to Phoenix while they are not very expensive? Sure, why not. Expedia – 800$ with one 3 hours stops in Chicago, Kayak – 873$ with 2 stops god knows where, Orbit – 760$ with one stop…From NYC to Phoenix, Arizona…You must be kidding me. Tickets to my motherland cost cheaper, non-stop flight to Rome, Italy is about the same price. I get upset, send very angry message to my friend and forget about my vacation.
Two weeks later I am doing homework on my laptop, beautiful HP with beatsaudio, which is easy to use for basically anything. I decide to check tickets to Phoenix again. The average price is about 350$-380$ with one hour stop in Chicago. Amazing…and weird. I go back to my Iphone and check the price of tickets again. My search gives me the same results as the first time: 700$-800$ with two stops. HP, I think I like you even better now. I book my flight, full of confusion and uncertainty.
A week later Facebook starts to send me the memory notifications with my girl from Phoenix. Do you remember this picture from 2011 where you are partying at her house? Or wait, maybe this one from 2010 where you are going to the rock concert together? Big brother, don’t you have anything else to do?
Marc Andrejevic states, “When we surf the Internet, for example, Internet browsers can gather information about the paths we take – the site we’ve visit and the clickstreams that take us from one site to another” (Andrejevic 2). I visit Century 21 website in order to get cute denim jacket for this spring. I find the one I like, with spikes and leather sleeves, very rock-n-roll style. However, I am not going to purchase it today, because I want to check out other stores. Ten minutes later the picture of this exact jackets pups up on my Facebook wall. I find it annoying, but I may take another look at this jacket.
Being constantly watched and tracked is necessary part of our modern society and trust me, it’s only going to get worse. Michel Foucault gives a very interesting and right idea about the disciplinary society, “Although few citizens have anything positive to say about the disciplinary gaze of the state, many people simultaneously recognize that this is a necessary part of an organized society, and that it leads (more or less) efficient resolution of numerous social problems” (Athnique 222). Do you agree with Foucault that being constantly watched can create a resolution for many social problems? Do you think it can work in the opposite direction?
Educate yourself, relax and enjoy this song
3 thoughts on “Big Brother, don’t you have anything else to do?”
Nobody likes being surveilled but without it a lot of questionable behavior would go unchecked. I think that surveillance is necessary… and surveillance can absolutely work in the opposite direction. It depends on who is in power and how they use that information. If it is for you or against you.
I really like how you linked your personal experiences and the ideas in readings in witty ways! This happened to me as well when I was looking for the flights to my homeland during the spring break. Like a month ago, it was nearly and over $1000 whereas when I just happened to check in 2 weeks later, the ticket prices went down about 50% of the original price. It is nice to get a good deal since they were monitoring my interests in search engine; however, thinking of being recorded every moments that I put on digital society is making me to behave in surveillance. I guess this is why I started to make my personal Instagram which turned in private and have followers who are really close friends in a real life.
I agree with steven as well. As we have talked about in class, every revolution that has come has changed previous problems but also brought new ones. I agree with Foucault that being constantly watched can create new social problems. Especially if the information is being misused. But i think the biggest problem we are facing is the concept of privacy. If digital survelliance and privacy can co-exist.
Nobody likes being surveilled but without it a lot of questionable behavior would go unchecked. I think that surveillance is necessary… and surveillance can absolutely work in the opposite direction. It depends on who is in power and how they use that information. If it is for you or against you.
I really like how you linked your personal experiences and the ideas in readings in witty ways! This happened to me as well when I was looking for the flights to my homeland during the spring break. Like a month ago, it was nearly and over $1000 whereas when I just happened to check in 2 weeks later, the ticket prices went down about 50% of the original price. It is nice to get a good deal since they were monitoring my interests in search engine; however, thinking of being recorded every moments that I put on digital society is making me to behave in surveillance. I guess this is why I started to make my personal Instagram which turned in private and have followers who are really close friends in a real life.
I agree with steven as well. As we have talked about in class, every revolution that has come has changed previous problems but also brought new ones. I agree with Foucault that being constantly watched can create new social problems. Especially if the information is being misused. But i think the biggest problem we are facing is the concept of privacy. If digital survelliance and privacy can co-exist.