Our neighborhood group chat started as a way to share local news but it's become constant surveillance reports about suspicious people and Ring camera footage and license plate tracking and I'm uncomfortable with how quickly we've become a voluntary panopticon. Half the neighbors think I'm being difficult when I suggest we dial it back.
More people experience this than they realize.
The desire for security transforms neighbors into watchers, dissolving the boundaries between care and control.
“Where Are You with The surveillance state?”
If this sounds familiar, the Library can help you find the bigger picture.