scopoph

The fear of being seen.

Remember Big Brother from 1984? I’ve seen so many comparisons to him online nowadays to numerous entities, whether it be Google, Facebook, or even a nation like China. But this article might just really add credence to that comparison. The sheer amount of human data collected in China from surveillance cameras, in my belief, are very intimidating to Western cultures. Any brief YouTube search will yield intense simulations of AI tracking all license plates on cars, individual people on streets, and more. Though, this isn’t so different from the US’s own business practices. It’s just China has put that technology to stricter use.

A social credit system built then may see inklings in the future. I’m doubtful to their success, as the article mentions competitors, but I also think my generation’s attachment and criticism of capitalism gives some understanding of this situation. There are so many terrible videos and pictures made on social media networks every day, whether it be war crimes, animal abuse, or worse. Until our AI arrives at a point that people tangibly trust it to govern these online posts (which is difficult given the immense power of position this gives one entity), we’re left to outsourcing such unfortunate moderation to citizens.

And with large corporations that have built their success in the past decades, there will also always be a segment of population that is willing to complete efficient, though uncomfortable, work in order to survive in their own country. This cycle, generally, pours more funding into the top dogs, with little change for the middle or lower classes. Thus, as we become more marginalized and removed from our identities, we become less able to separate our own. There’s simply less ability for us to be human, and make mistakes as humans do.

It may be better theoretically, but our transition has certainly been painful. There’s fear now, that some Big Brother, after all, could be watching.