Technology and Communications

14/05/07

Technology and the “Big Brother Effect”

There is no doubt that the technological advances in recent years have changed the way we live. We are now able to talk to people in any part of the world within six seconds, we can watch events from any country such as the Olympic Games live on television screens in our own living room’s, we can even have interactive video conversations through as small a device as a mobile phone. These advances have benefited millions of people worldwide but we have reached a stage where it is now time to stop and think of what is happening to us as a result of all this automation and modernisation; we are becoming over-dependent on electronic devices to carry out simple tasks, we are becoming less and less aware of people and activities in our own communities, even family activities are gradually becoming a thing of the past.

When George Orwell wrote his acclaimed novel “Nineteen Eighty Four” in 1949, even he would be surprised at how things he wrote then would become part of society 60 years on. Results of the “Big Brother” effect which he predicted in his novel are now to be seen frequently in our daily newspapers. With the crime rate in Ireland, particularly the alarming increase in burglaries, home-owners are becoming more and more worried. Thousands of people are investing in high-tech security systems to protect their houses from being burgled. With S.S.I.A.’s still maturing at the moment, electronic gates, high fences, motion sensors and C.C.T.V. cameras in particular are popping up in communities around the country. These systems are installed to deter thieves from entering people’s homes but home-owners don’t seem to realise that by having such high security, they are literally telling people that they have something to protect. Apart from this, these systems also have side effects on the people who have them installed. Gone is the feeling of neighbourliness and community that rural Ireland boasted about for so many years. With the increasing number of ribbon developments in rural areas, things are getting to a stage where people have never even met their neighbours. Sturdy doors and strong gates may keep unwanted visitors out but they also discourage people from “popping round for a chat.” One has to wonder where this is going to end. It has been proven that over 55% of people who installed house alarms in 2005 did so after being burgled themselves. This is in effect “locking the stable door after the horse has bolted,” as statistics show that people are rarely burgled on more than one occasion.

When walking through any of the main towns and cities of Ireland, it is hard not to notice the increasing number of security camera’s on our streets. The GardaÐ"­ argue that these cameras are strictly necessary and that many a criminal has been put behind bars thanks to the use of video evidence in court. However, there are two sides to every story and one has to ask what happens to the video footage of people apart from criminals? In the U.K. it is estimated that on a day trip in a city,