Things that should be added to the statement.
Reasons for feeling this way
How surveillance can be used in both good and but also very bad ways
Some people may not understand this, but that’s ok.
Different types of surveillance
Surveillance is a very large topic which takes place every day without us even knowing about it, but even when we do know about it, it does not mean we can do much to stop it. Most people will have a reason as to why they feel they are being watched, although others may be lucky and not feel this way at all.
At the age of 9 and 4, my stepfather placed a security camera into my sister’s and my room. He claimed this was to keep an eye on us as my sister had cut a hole into the carpet.
Not everyone understands this feeling of being watched, however, it is real. The brain can be such a powerful tool to make you feel as if something is real when it may not be. This is similar to the way that dummy cameras can be just as powerful as real cameras.
Our government tends to promote surveillance as a form of safety for the community and for retail as this is people’s way of making sure people are conforming to the basic rules of society, or to prevent a burglary of ones home, although when this is used as anything other than this it has many negative connotations, people may use it in ways other than keeping themselves safer but to breach others privacy.
This body of work includes a number of different cameras, small hidden cameras, motion sensor wildlife cameras, DSLR cameras which have taken the images and self-made hidden cameras using tiny cameras and hidden them within objects.
This ‘feeling’ can be so powerful that it can make people conform to societies rules but also mess up as the brain can be so overruled by this thought that it might not realise what it is actually doing, I know I have had this experience on multiple occasions.
After writing this, I asked on Facebook if there were any creative writing students or people who were able to read through this and reword it to sound a bit more professional and better written as I am definitely not a writer.
My Nan, who has written several books said that she would give it a go, and I am quite pleased with the outcome, I feel it has a good informative touch to it and it is easy to read so that the audience will understand my project clearly.
Surveillance is something which was extremely covert until fairly recently but now it is quite obvious everywhere. CCTV cameras in shops, banks, offices and on streets – seemingly accepted by all and sundry as necessary to keep us “safe” in this age of automation and high tech gadgets.
When I was 9, and my sister was 4, my mother’s then-partner placed a security camera in our bedroom, claiming that it was to “keep an eye” on us because my little sister had cut a hole in the carpet! However, it created a sense of insecurity in both of us to different degrees – it was a literal example of “big brother is watching you” as expressed in George Orwell’s 1984 about a dystopian society where everybody was watched and monitored to the nth degree.
I do not think that everybody understands this feeling of being watched – although it is a very real sensation. The brain is such a powerful tool – one can begin to feel that one is being watched even when this is not the case. Just as a dummy camera can be as powerful as a real one.
The powers that be promote surveillance - as a form of keeping us “safe” and preventing theft in retail establishments and generally ensuring that people conform to the basic rules of our society – preventing homes being burgled. However, the tables can be turned and it can be used by people to spy on their neighbours or other people.
In this body of work, I have included a number of different cameras – small, hidden cameras – motion sensor wildlife cameras – DSLR cameras which have taken images and self-made hidden cameras using tiny apparatus hidden within objects to disguise their use.
Although one could argue that the feeling of being watched can make people sometimes conform to the rules laid down by our society – one can also argue that the brain can become so confused by this thought that it may at the time, not realise what is actually happening.
I have often experienced such a sensation.
Cassiopeia, 2020