Our previous blog postings have discussed privacy issues in South Korea caused by the rapid development of technology in the country. So far, we have discussed issues concerning Real-Time Locating Service, highway CCTVs, and cellphone GPS services. As we can see, the growth of surveillance has become a significant problem also in the Korean information-oriented society. I want to relate these issues to the topic that we discussed in class about “panoptic power.”
In the novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell, Big Brother takes a total control over the society and constantly “watch” everyone through telescreens. In the past, when the novel was first introduced, this totalitarian dictatorship seemed unreal; however, in the present society, we can easily find cases of complete surveillance around us. For examples, our personal information, actions, and thoughts are publicly or visually available through electronic devices, such as the Internet, CCTV’s, and cell phones. In the current society, technology is Big Brother. And, it is hard to “opt-out” of Big Brother’s total surveillance. The phrase, “Big Brother is watching you,” sounds very creepy and alarming to many of us.
How can we protect our rights against the increasing panoptic power of technology? Before Big Brother completely takes away our privacy, we have to lead the “reverse panopticon” to protect our rights and privacy. As technology develops, individuals’ knowledge and realization of the related issues also have increased. As we adapt to the information-oriented society, I believe that we have become capable of protecting ourselves from Big Brother. As the users of technology increase, the more people are becoming familiar and skilled with utilizing and manipulating technology. Recently, people have become more aware and attentive of the possible threats that the current ease may bring about in the near future.
In order to make sure that we don’t lose the control of our privacy, we have to “watch out” on Big Brother.
In the novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell, Big Brother takes a total control over the society and constantly “watch” everyone through telescreens. In the past, when the novel was first introduced, this totalitarian dictatorship seemed unreal; however, in the present society, we can easily find cases of complete surveillance around us. For examples, our personal information, actions, and thoughts are publicly or visually available through electronic devices, such as the Internet, CCTV’s, and cell phones. In the current society, technology is Big Brother. And, it is hard to “opt-out” of Big Brother’s total surveillance. The phrase, “Big Brother is watching you,” sounds very creepy and alarming to many of us.
How can we protect our rights against the increasing panoptic power of technology? Before Big Brother completely takes away our privacy, we have to lead the “reverse panopticon” to protect our rights and privacy. As technology develops, individuals’ knowledge and realization of the related issues also have increased. As we adapt to the information-oriented society, I believe that we have become capable of protecting ourselves from Big Brother. As the users of technology increase, the more people are becoming familiar and skilled with utilizing and manipulating technology. Recently, people have become more aware and attentive of the possible threats that the current ease may bring about in the near future.
In order to make sure that we don’t lose the control of our privacy, we have to “watch out” on Big Brother.
I love how you link each post to class issues. To make this a stellar blog you will need to do more analysis and less description. There is time to fix this, please see Marina when you return from break (or make an appointment to meet with me).
ReplyDeleteI agree with Professor Wagner, but I definitely see significant improvements in the blog! Also as you write your blogs make sure you cover topics under how, what, why and when. Look under course information in the blackboard site to see which topics you have already covered under each of these buckets. Keep up the good work!
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