Privacy or No Privacy?

            In society people have no privacy. Privacy does not exist anymore as it used to. You cannot wake up and live life without someone watching you. There was a point in time in which you could go to work without thinking about it. The government plays a big part in keeping an eye on everybody. With the US being attacked by other countries in the past, the government feels as if they have to watch the lives of people; from where they go, tapping their phones, and watching online activity.

            When an individual wakes up, the first thing that revolves around the mind, is finding out what they are going to do today. Some people do absolutely nothing at all; some go on adventures, while the rest relax until something comes their way. People all have tasks on their plate to accomplish. The government has a way of spying on the people. “Files on TrapWire, a government-sponsored program that allows U.S. intelligence agencies to track people’s movements using surveillance cameras, have surfaced with  the latest batch of Wikileaks  documents” (Epstein). Once an individual leaves their house to go to a store, the first thing they notice are cameras watching their every move. Of course, we all know cameras are there to watch the store’s safety, but little do we know the government can see through them also; not just the store, but also pedestrians walking by. The reason behind this is to make sure that no one is up to any suspicious activity. The government is paranoid.

              On a daily basis about 85% of people are using their phones. This could be through texting, emailing, and calling. That is how humans communicate, especially through phones. People all have conversations on life, church, relationships, jobs, etc. However, did you know that while they have these conversations, the government taps every phone call? After the 9/11 terrorist attack, the government has tapped into each and every phone call to find out if there are any terrorists planning to cause harm to the United States. Society has no privacy at all. Imagine a man or woman in a relationship talking to their spouse about their plans with the peanut butter and jelly. Little do they know, the government is listening to their conversation. It is funny, but yet wrong, because phone conversations should be private. The government has their reasons, so people should keep their conversations limited to a certain subject.

            Other sources of entertainment can be found online; whether it is through a dating website, facebook, twitter, instagram, or vine, they are all entertainment. Whenever an individual is bored, the first place they go to free themselves would be online. Usually when something extraordinary or unbelievable happens, the first place to talk about it is online-- mainly facebook. The government knows of their actions, because they watch online activity. It would not be surprising if they watch people in the showers, too; or even when they use the bathroom. The government is unfair; of course we know that they are looking out for their people, and also trying to protect the country. One thing they need to do is give people more privacy. It is somewhat like we are all Truman Burbanks being controlled by another person; no one likes to be controlled especially by someone more powerful (Weir). When it gets to that point, riots come into the picture and society rebels.

 In conclusion, society has no privacy anymore. The government watches people in their every action; whether it is through the internet, cell phones, and movement; they watch us. In order to avoid this, people must keep their conversations G-rated, watch what they post on their networking sites, and just watch their backs. Privacy does not exist, but people can hold their dignity and watch what they say.

Works Cited:

Weir, Peter dir. The Truman Show. Dir. Niccol Andrew. Universal Studios, 1998. Film. 11 Sep 2013. <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120382/>.

Epstein, Mike. "The Governement Maybe Uses Cameras To Track Your Every Move." Ekosyst. (2012): n. page. Web. 11 Sep. 2013. <www.geekosystem.com/trapwire-surveillance/>.

The Truman Show.. My Thoughts

In class yesterday we watched the Truman Show. While watching this show, I realized that the media in our society are trying to run our lives. We don’t see it yet because we’re blind to the fact of entertainment not knowing that the media is pretty much controlling our lives. In the movie, the commentary made a role of media in our lives, it had utopian and dystopian views of media, the line between public and private, the difference between real life and performance, and the ethics of reality TV. I will elaborate.

If you think of it, what do we do on a daily basis? Watch TV, use our phones, and check our social networking sites, etc. When you look at it, technology controls us; we can’t live without it. The social commentary in this movie was good, and probably that’s what caught the attention of the viewers. We can function as humans every single day but if u compare it to the movie, it’s similar. We wake up, meet new people, make friends, and get a job. Just the average stuff and this movie showed it. It was so real; that you wouldn’t even know it was staged. Even though there were a couple of get ups in the movie.

Life proceeds and society changes especially in the media. There are times in which you might feel as if everything goes complete perfect, but then again knowing that it’s life. Things don’t always go perfect. The media has a way of portraying utopia on national television. Especially on reality shows, everything seems perfect in that person’s life when actually dystopia plays it’s part. Everything is staged. The media lies to us on a daily basis and we follow?  “We accept the reality of the world with which we are presented. It’s as simple as that.” -Christof

Truman was absolutely stuck in a world of his own, he was trapped not knowing that every person he encounters and the city he lives in. Is just fiction. The real world was outside of the dome constructed in Hollywood.

            Everyone wants privacy, space, and time for themselves. Nobody wants to be watched or not have space. Some people love other people in there business or they love being watched. In the Truman Show, Truman experienced both. They had cameras everywhere in the city especially in his house, his car, and his job. He had no space. But one day he devised a plan and then he left. So the cameras couldn’t follow him. So you can say there is a line between privacy and public.

            In life, there are borders between real life and performance. One is reality, and the other one is staged, meaning that it’s written. In the beginning of the movie he was absolutely clueless. He thought the life that he was living was real until he started seeing clues that made him realize that something’s fishy. Therefore he left and the producers couldn’t find him until he reached the end of the dome. He realized that his life was fake and staged. That was the border between life and performance. The ethics of reality TV I’m not really sure they even have one. What people really look for in a reality TV show is for it being real. Everyone looks for the real in a person’s life. Truman on the other hand swore his life was real but it was all staged. The Truman Show on a whole was an amazing movie.

           

About Me ..

                                                               A City Boy Far From Home

      
     

In society, there are numerous of people and new technology in various parts of the world. That’s the thing that catches an individual’s attention, because the world is complex. I’m an individual that differs from the average individuals I encounter everyday. I’ll expound on who I am, what is the role of media and technology in my life, and the role of media on the expansion of information in society.

           

On August 26, 1994 at St. Lukes Hospital in Manhattan, NY. I was born. I’m an individual that loves God, loves to follow his dreams and be successful at it. When I have my mind set on something precise, I never stray from it. My dream is to become a successful actor in the media, and by the looks of it? God is blessing me and my dreams are turning into reality.

           

My life revolves around media and technology. When it comes to communication? You can get me through facebook, my cell phone, and instagram. The reason I say that, is because that’s usually where you can find me. For entertainment, I’m usually watching cartoons on TV or playing sport games on my Xbox 360..

           

When I look at the roles of media and technology it plays a big factor. Without it, I wouldn’t be able to understand and be updated with society. I wouldn’t know anything that occurs in the world. Or even be able to talk to my friends. I probably wouldn’t even have friends.

           

In my conclusion, the media and technology are the only ways we can stay updated. Without it, we wouldn’t be that complex or even have any expansion when it comes to knowledge, especially in society. They are key factors in life.

           

           

Song describes me.. Empire State of Mind :)

Born in Bronx, NY. 8/26/1994