Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are excellent mediums for communicating with each other and broadcasting important messages. Considering the profit-driven nature of our economy, it is understandable to wonder how these sites are free of charge for users. The short answer here is advertisements. In fact, the United States Senate just repealed the laws which gave online consumers privacy – making it easier for companies to sell and purchase our information. But there is a more insidious purpose fulfilled through these forums: surveillance.
The Right to Privacy and Potential Terrorists
For women and non-whites, there has never been a right to privacy. Historically, these bodies have always been open to violation by the patriarchal, white supremacist State. For the sake of simplicity, however, this blog will focus on the right to privacy during the War on Terror.
Thanks to the September 11th terrorist attacks, everyone is a potential terrorist (especially if you are dark-skinned with a head wrap). We allow our e-mails to be read and our phone calls to be wire-tapped in the name of national security. We remove our shoes and allow cavity searches at the airport in the name of national security.
The right to privacy has been sacrificed for an illusion of safety.
Once upon a time, secrets were jotted down in a diary and tucked beneath our mattress. Nowadays, with the proliferation of technology and the collapse of public and private domains, people are encouraged to ‘share’ their feelings with masses of people. By feeding off a shallow narcissism, personal information is easily extracted. Visibility into the thoughts and actions of the public solidifies social media as a surveillance mechanism.
Consider the fact that whenever someone does not have a social media account, they are suspicious. After all: even ISIS uses social media! Civil liberties have now degenerated to a point where an unwillingness to sacrifice the right to privacy makes us a potential terrorist.
Virtual Interrogation Rooms
The ‘news feed’ on social media is constantly updating. We become involved in a pathetic competition to stay relevant in the minds of friends and followers by over-contributing. A maladaptive habit then arises where many people insist on reporting and recording every movement.
The question is: who are we really talking to? The incessant updates suggests we are trying to prove our case to someone. The very structure of social media mirrors that of a criminal investigation. It seems as if we are responding to a panel of imaginary police officers inquiring as to our whereabouts. Social media forums are virtual interrogation rooms where we divulge our alibis to cyberspace detectives. Through GPS, our exact location is determined; and all of our statuses are stamped with the date and time – as if they are being scanned into an evidence log. Our profile picture is simply a mugshot for identification purposes.
October 20, 2016 at 5:36 pm
Great fu$%#in post my brotha. Well it’s funny because part of the problem is people who constantly use social media. They say there is too much drama but people invite drama. Gotta tell this folks that there was a world before 1995 hahahahhaha
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October 20, 2016 at 5:39 pm
Thank you!
I agree. It is ironic that we call it social media, but it has made people anti-social. I cannot tell you how many times I have been at a restaurant and seen people typing on their phones at the dinner table. Oddly enough, they are updating their statuses saying they are at dinner. Its crazy … facebook has become the mall lol
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October 20, 2016 at 9:09 pm
Lmfao I see it everyday
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March 29, 2017 at 11:35 pm
lol this is so true. The more we post, the less we interact. I thought about my own reasons today, for picking up my phone as frequently as I do. I was surprised to realize that I was bored with the world in front of me. The false / filtered personalities that are presented on social media have become way more intriguing than those in front of me. And that’s sad…
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April 3, 2017 at 11:56 am
Sorry for the delayed response my friend. I think I am finally leveling out now.
Yes you are right. Social media is certainly a supplement to reality. It is a sweet escape. It is a fantasy land where we get a chance to play the creator. We get to manipulate our image – and that is addictive.. whereas in real life, we are relatively powerless.
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April 3, 2017 at 4:32 pm
B-I-N-G-O. Hence the infatuation. I find shameful peace in knowing that the billions of Facebook subscribers are most likely suffering from their own misery – aka I’m not the only one somewhat unhappy with the direction our society (or life) has taken.
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March 29, 2017 at 11:32 pm
You live by the “if you don’t like social media, get off” resolution lol.
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March 29, 2017 at 11:37 pm
It’s the truth.
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March 29, 2017 at 11:41 pm
yes, it is!
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October 21, 2016 at 12:39 pm
You know how funny it is to watch someone look at me as if I’ve grown two heads because I don’t believe in most social media outlets? Yes it’s ‘good’ to get yourself out there but does no one find it slightly dodge that all you have to do is Google your name and you’ve got all your info – right down to what you ate for breakfast?
Privacy is becoming a scarce luxury, a commodity that you have to pay a high price for…
Fantastic entry man!
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October 21, 2016 at 12:54 pm
Thank you!
Lol, I feel you! I get those same looks. I only created a Facebook account 5 months ago, because I realized that I was “socially dead” without it. I was not being invited to anything anymore.
It is strange … social media masquerades as a platform for connection, but in reality, it just convinces people to divulge personal information. It makes the FBI’s job so much easier. Instead of wire tapping, all they have to do is type our name in. We are spying on ourselves. We violate our privacy for them. Textbook definition of brainwashing.
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October 21, 2016 at 3:22 pm
It’s basic propaganda. Now all we have to do is to wait for the bomb to drop.
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October 22, 2016 at 8:42 pm
Excellent post and also inspiring. I’m a writer (that’s my hobby anyway) and I love writing things that challenge our view of the world or make us look at things in a different way. There’s a real inspiration in here. If AI can communicate in a way that is indistinguishable from a human and machines like that can become cheap enough, I can definitely see government setting up chat rooms with AI ‘plants’ or ‘users’ so that people can incriminate themselves. OK, if not in the US, then definitely elsewhere.
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October 22, 2016 at 8:54 pm
Absolutely! There is certainly a dearth of critical thinking. Social media is beneficial for keeping in touch with people – but there is also the dark underside of surveillance. The police create fake user accounts to keep tabs on people. Its wild.
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October 24, 2016 at 2:08 am
Bro, great, great post!! This is exactly why I keep all social media sports, and leave it at that. I already feel like they watch us thru our phones, and laptops. This is why there’s a camera on every damn thing. This is why they can track you without your location being on. There’s a reason all of the Terms of Agreement pages are so long. They have the peoples tendencies down to a science.
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October 24, 2016 at 2:24 am
Thanks my man!
You are absolutely right. No one reads those Terms of Agreements – and that is the point. Just a few days ago I downloaded a calculator app for my phone – and it wanted access to my call logs and such. Wtf???
The Terms and Agreements for PokemonGo are horrible, man. There is a hidden cost to all of these “free” apps: our privacy.
Glad you are one of the few who is smart enough to understand what is in jeopardy.
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October 24, 2016 at 2:51 am
Yea, I have to really sit and think if I want certain apps. I get too stuck on wanting to know why exactly they need access to my photos or anything else on my phone. I also realize everything that you want to use they is of interest you, puts you thru that. The apps no one cares about don’t ask for anything. Makes sense.
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October 24, 2016 at 2:54 am
It’s frightening. There are ways we are being deceived that we won’t find out about until 30 years from now. Gotta enjoy life in the midst of all this, somehow though. Sing, dance, watching sports … we gotta maintain our sanity, still!
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October 24, 2016 at 2:57 am
It’s like I always say, I refuse to be on my death bed thinking about all the things I coulda/shoulda done. You never get time back. It’s the one thing we never will. Enjoy life bro. The powers that be going to do what they do. We have to adapt and keep living.
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October 24, 2016 at 3:05 am
That’s a good perspective. We limit our fun while they are cruising on yachts. We need to live it up, as well.
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March 2, 2017 at 4:33 pm
Great article, Daryl. A week ago I would have thought it alarmist. Now, I’m ashamed of how naive I’ve been. Believing I’m safe because my data is just a speck in the ocean of data out there only works while there is no way of filtering and tracking that mass of data. I really should have known better.
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March 2, 2017 at 5:30 pm
Thanks Meeka! No need to feel naive – one would only know this if they are searching for it. We just need to take the information and spread it!
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March 2, 2017 at 5:55 pm
Going to try. 🙂
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March 24, 2017 at 2:07 am
My grandson eschews Social Media today, when he was a teenager he had a Myspace site and he used it to hook up with various “deals”. Then he came to his senses. As for me I do read the Terms and Agreements, my brother laughs at me but I like to know what I am getting into. A few years back the FBI came to my little house while I was cleaning up. Front and back door were open. One guy walked in the front door and the other the back. They were looking for my boyfriend at the time. He was AWOL from the Army. How the hell they knew to come to my place I did not know. They questioned me and left. I cried. That boyfriend never got in my house again. And that’s when I learned about my so-called privacy. But hey, I have nothing to hide and besides my mugshot is cute.
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March 27, 2017 at 2:31 pm
Hello Ms. Elva. I hope all is well. Sorry for the late response – the lapse in time was due to my thinking I responded, when I really had not. I read your comment and formulated a response in my head, just not got around to typing it out.
That is a wild story. You are right to call it your “so-called privacy”. Our information is routinely disseminated without our consent. I always get phone calls out of the blue from random companies that already know my name. They get my personal information by other companies I am affiliated with – because they purchase their customer logs, etc.
Those Terms & Conditions packets are formatted in clever ways. They tend to put the innocuous language up front, and then the most potent and problematic language in the middle – where people would have to “dig” to find it.
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March 27, 2017 at 7:47 pm
Yea, I forgot to say that I worked for the District Attorney’s Office in L. A. and I worked for the Federal Government VA so I became good at reading government speak. Everything else is easier.
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April 3, 2017 at 11:53 am
Hello Ms. Elva. Sorry for the delayed response. I have been away from the blog as I just got a new job with early hours so I have been trying to get acclimated to the routine. I am trying to get back into the swing of things. ☺ I hope all is well with you!
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April 3, 2017 at 2:39 pm
Ah, there you are! Jobs are good. Hope to see more posts from you soon. In your spare time, stop by my blog.
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March 24, 2017 at 11:10 am
Quite a thought-provoking piece. I’ve got to be careful not to become paranoid. I suppose when we make the choice to fill out any form or sign up to any Terms and conditions, we have to make a conscious decision that we’re allowing one or other big brother in. Apart from social media, our banks, cell phone service providers and general internet usage has papers on us. I think it was the Mayans who said we’d be able to read each other’s minds – well here’s how it’s done. Great post Darryl.
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March 24, 2017 at 11:36 am
Thank you Chevvy! You are right – we have to scrutinize those Terms and Conditions. Whenever I download a simple game to my phone, I see they want access to my photographs, location, and contacts. All of that is necessary for a game of Solitaire!?
I try not to become paranoid, as well. Even our paranoia is marketed to us: they manufacture fear of the Other – and then sell you the idea of “security” with all types of computers and cameras that can be installed around your house, in your car, etc. Its absurd!
Thank you for tuning in! I hope all is well =D
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March 24, 2017 at 11:45 am
I’m great thank you- just going to be a bit more mindful huh! But I guess we’ve got to think of how we build our resilience to some of this invasion because we want the convenience or entertainment but not all the hidden extras. I agree also that we have to take care that social media doesn’t erode other relationships. I know that I don’t like having a date with someone who’s constantly looking at their phone – I’d rather stay home and look at my own phone – better still, read a book. Oh by the way, since I read kindles, they know what I’m reading too! 😀 Have a great weekend!
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March 24, 2017 at 4:18 pm
Privacy is a thing of the past. Every other day they’re taking another right from us. Falsebook and YouTube monitor everything you do and compiles all your personal information. They’re spying on us pretty much everywhere.
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March 27, 2017 at 2:35 pm
Hello my friend. I am sorry for the late response – this one got lost in the flow of notifications. You are right: privacy is non-existent at this point. There seems to be a contradiction, but it is all part of the plan. Capitalism is based on private property – but at the same time, it undermines the privacy of individuals en route to making more money and accumulating more private property. But people are so brainwashed, they actually think that forfeiting their privacy is synonymous with safety. In reality, we have neither.
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March 27, 2017 at 6:50 pm
That’s it! You summed it up quite well. I have been saying the same thing for a very long time.
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April 6, 2017 at 4:06 pm
Hey Love! It’s been a minute, I’m trying to catch up.
But I had to say: YAAASSS!
Two things! First, AGREED! Women and minorities have never had any real sense of privacy. We’ve always been under the proverbial microscope. I’ll give you one guess as to who is looking!
Second, THIS: “The right to privacy has been sacrificed for an illusion of safety.”
When that mess happened I was like WTF? I mean this joker is up there doing whatever he wants to freaking do! The answer to every crazy move is always muslim terrorism…what about homegrown terrorism? CRICKETS!
Oh yeah and don’t get me started on his quiet walk-back on women’s pay!
Darryl, I am flat out sick to my stomach every time I turn on the news! I really just can’t!
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April 7, 2017 at 7:24 pm
They’ve been setting this up since the Sept 11th terrorists attacks. Notice how accessible and inclusive the online community is supposed to be?
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April 7, 2017 at 10:24 pm
I don’t doubt it at all Tareau.
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July 12, 2017 at 1:52 am
You have this amazing gift that really provokes thought. I think the question “who are we talking too?” has always posed a question in my mind since the age of Myspace. Great content Darryl!
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July 28, 2017 at 7:59 am
Hey Alia! How are you? Sorry for the late response, I have been away for a minute now. Thank you for your kind words! Glad this piece resonated with you!
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