what if we were all big brother?

I had a thought. what if we would take the usual Big Brother Is Watching situation but make it a bit more democratic? Suppose that everyone would be able to watch everyone, all the time. imagine that while the police could watch you whenever they want, they wouldn't be able to abuse that power because they would be constantly watched by fans of Police Procedural. what if keeping secrets, would no longer be possible to anyone?

It would bring new meaning to the statement that Hell is other people.

That sounds like a thousand Amazing Stories.

anyway

For starters, no one would have time to do anything else. Including work, sleep, or eat, because then how would you be watching the people you're supposed to?

Sounds... crowded.

It would be weird, but I think as a society we'd adjust. I actually think we're kinda approaching that already, what with BlackBerrys and telephones and MSN and every company having CCTV cameras everywhere.

It wouldn't be their job to watch people, it'd just be a constant threat. You wouldn't know who's watching when. Randomly intermittent surveillance serves the same purpose here as constant surveillance.

As for the general topic, I honestly don't think it'd make much difference. In the end, apathy wins and people won't care enough to watch each other. Might lower the crime rate a bit though, especially if it's being recorded. On the other hand, criminals are often pretty stupid.

Isnt that sort of what happened in Brave New World?

I think We had something like that.

Yep, the first thing I thought of was We. The second was Stasi.

I don't think it would be that bad. People would adjust to having no privacy, and I think society as a whole would become a lot more open.

It would enable stalking, but it would also stop stalking as you could watch someone you suspect is stalking you.

It would be alright, but I think I'd rather have society as it is now.

I like secrets. I don't like any invasions of my privacy.

Having no room to do things on the sly.. Yeah, I'm not comfortable with it, what can I say. I'm uncomfortable enough with the fact that Command Post likes to watch base police from our own security cameras.

Long story short, that would be hellish for me. I'm very sneaky, and sometimes you can do good with sneakiness.

edited 20th Feb '11 9:32:12 AM by Barkey

The only people who would actually be effective in a situation like this (ie, consistently watch others and report such that this makes a difference) would be those who are obsessive enough, lacking in real world responsibilities to even bother. In other words, the sort of people I would not want watching me.

Having privacy isn't just about being sneaky (though it's perfectly healthy to be able to keep secrets also), it's a form of security. Every action you take would run the risk of someone stealing from you, just look at how prolific identity theft is now. Eventually some form of security is going to be implemented, and then it's not truly democratic surveillance; those with the technical know-how to bypass any and all securities will be the only ones with real privacy, and real power.

It would be like Invasion Of The Body Snatchers.

It would be good, in my opinion. Everyone would do the right thing, because everyone is always watching you, and everyone can hold you accountable, and you can hold everyone accountable.

Why I oppose it:

Some secrets are best kept, and I consider privacy to be a good thing.

Why someone who doesn't agree with that should oppose it anyway:

those with the technical know-how to bypass any and all securities will be the only ones with real privacy, and real power.

edited 20th Feb '11 11:17:54 AM by Pykrete

Wasn't there an Asimov story where this happened? Someone created a cheap technology that could see everything.

There are upsides and downsides to it. It would eliminate wrongful convictions, and leave the powerful much less room to abuse their power. At the same time, there are unjust laws, and it would make them much easier to enforce, punishing people for victimless crimes. Not to mention privacy's intrinsic value, and the stress of being constantly watched. But...

If we could see what people were really like, and everyone could see what we were like, wouldn't that make it harder to be judgmental? Could we really allow victimless crimes to be punished when everyone can see what we ourselves are guilty of? The hypocrisy of judgment would be exposed, and we'd have a much more realistic idea of one other; that we are flawed, but ultimately, that that is okay. And if we could see the consequences of our actions, I think it would make us better people, even as we admit our flaws. The real question is whether we could come to terms with the absolute loss of privacy.

Personally... I'd find it arousing.

edited 20th Feb '11 2:43:50 PM by HughMan

First adopters would agree with you. Loss of petty-judgement or not, no one will want for porn ever again.

edited 20th Feb '11 2:04:35 PM by Ratix

Wasn't there an Asimov story where this happened?

like I said

The Light of Other Days is Clarke, not Asimov.

I know, my point is that it's been in sci-fi more than once.

Wasn't there a story about a spy who, eventually, finds out she lives in an entire city of spies, and the city only exists to, I think, hold spies for the purpose of "reeducating" them in a post Singularity society that doesn't need them anymore?

Oh, right, it a Marvelman story. That comic was so good.

edited 20th Feb '11 3:11:44 PM by Roman

At the very least, cognitive overload. Too much information coming in, most people wouldn't be able to function.

Also, I think an eventual loss of the self as an identity. If you can watch and know what everyone's thinking all the time, it would take a very strong sense of self-identity to keep yourself apart from other people. It would be virtually impossible for young children and babies, I imagine, who are still in the beginning processes of forming who they are and how the world works. I think eventually humanity would just be one large bucket of kool-aid.

A virtuous hive.

I suppose, but what would be the point? Who would want to do anything if they couldn't think of themself as an individual?

I suppose. The problem with being all Big Brother is that sure, there would be virtue, but at the cost of free will.