Surveillance, Culture of

Surveillance as a socio-technological phenomenon is not independent from society and culture. Collective perceptions of surveillance are shaped by historic experiences. An example of this was Nazi Germany and the former Eastern Bloc and their cultural representations and narrations in historiography, literature, and film. Other examples include modern closed-circuit television (CCTV) surveillance, algorithmic practices of online services, and media coverage about secret police surveillance. All of these aspects are relevant in describing culture of surveillance, with the concepts varying depending on the cultural and historical context. Consider the example of the TV show Big Brother, which premiered in the Netherlands in 1999; it depicted people being watched 24/7 by dozens of television cameras. Thus, the term big brother is no longer solely associated with an ...