Have you ever googled “monitoring” or “surveillance”?
Unsurprisingly, these two terms are no longer a concept referring to the future but they are a reality. According to wikipedia, monitoring refers to the observation of persons, things and places whereas surveillance has to do with the monitoring of activities by police or security officials for crimes or wrongdoing.
At first glance, it appears that these concepts are something we have to be worried about, specially with the new revelations to come. The capture of our image and movements, the need of a coded access card in order to get into the office in the morning or the fear of uttering some words and then finding related products on our social media are a case in point. It reminds us of dictators, totalitarianism or something sinister.
However, monitoring and surveillance is not just about a controlling practice but about a complex infrastructure which makes life easier and much more secure. For instance, when one goggles these terms, the results shown are about tobacco, environment and health and not about spying on us. In fact, there is a general concern in improving our living conditions. Besides, it is the outcome of modern organizational trends in workplaces and business towards efficient administration.
In conclusion, it can’t be argued that the future is here and we cannot do anything but to adapt to it and see the positive side. Even though, surveillance and monitoring may present many hazards and insecurities, in the long run the benefits will exceed them.
