Surveillance: Is it about technology or society?

Surveillance has become a systematic focus on our everyday lives. Is it the technology available to us that is shaping our thoughts or the fact that as a society we have become so paranoid that we feel we need to be watching over one another? Well, it’s actually a little bit of both.

Technological determinism is the theory that technology progresses at a steady pace while we as a society follow along and adopt the advancements given to us. Cultural determinism is the theory that the culture in which we are raised determines what technological advancements will be created. Both of these theories coincide to develop the kind of world which we live in. Most technological advancements have been created with a specific social purpose in mind (technological determinism), but it is within the culture that we are raised which determines the social purpose (cultural determinism).

History progresses by changing the subject rather than by progressing from one event or stage to the next. Crime, theft , and deception have been around since the beginning of human kind.  The fact that people have decided that this type of activity is immoral and offensive is created by the people and produces the values which they want to live off of. How people handle this issue has changed as various ways of surveillance have been created. Inventions such as weapons and traps have been used to alleviate the chance of risk and security, but were not originally created or used for this exact purpose.  The fact that these features have been developed and redeveloped shows that cultural desire and advancements in technology work side by side.

As a culture, we have decided that we want extra security. Technology has progressed to allow people to be recorded. Together, these ideas have formed and evolved into surveillance systems. Being able to create your own DIY surveillance camera uses easily available technological equipment to manufacture and customize a system to benefit your own needs.