In 1991, Tim Berners-Lee managed to connect hypertext technology to the Internet, therefore creating the World Wide Webb; he formed the basis of a new type of networked communication. This new form of networked communication began with the likes of weblogs and e-mails that helped form the basis of online communities. It was not until the turn of the millennium that we see online services begin to become interactive ‘two-way vehicles’ for networked sociality appose to merely offering channels for networked communication. The phenomenon surrounding social networks was perhaps not the sheer magnitude of users but the extent to which people were willing to share on these sites. Social media and the...
In 1991, Tim Berners-Lee managed to connect hypertext technology to the Internet, therefore creating the World Wide Webb; he formed the basis of a new type of networked communication. This new form of networked communication began with the likes of weblogs and e-mails that helped form the basis of online communities. It was not until the turn of the millennium that we see online services begin to become interactive ‘two-way vehicles’ for networked sociality appose to merely offering channels for networked communication. The phenomenon surrounding social networks was perhaps not the sheer magnitude of users but the extent to which people were willing to share on these sites. Social media and the extent that people are willing to share online without considering who can see what they’re posting and what they can do with this information has created various societal problems that previously didn’t exist. The ability to check someone’s interests, who their friends are, where they have been on holiday extends beyond just the people you interact with online with various stories emerging of time when employers have not hired or sacked an individual over something they have posted on social media. In order to assess the influence that social media has had on surveillance culture it is important to define what is meant by surveillance culture. Surveillance Culture refers to a society where everything is monitored through various methods such as CCTV cameras, Speed cameras, Photo Identification Cards, Databases with vast information on every individual. The idea of surveillance culture in contemporary society extends beyond the idea of ‘big brother’ watching us and looks at how surveillance exists on multiple levels throughout society. However, has the rise of social networking influenced our culture of surveillance? In Western Society, every time someone posts online, every text or e-mail that is sent is saved forever. In order to evaluate the effect that social networking has had on the surveillance culture various forms of surveillance will be looked at, and how social media has influenced them will be evaluated.
