Surveillance - Essay Example

Surveillance Surveillance Surveillance has been part of the world for quite some time now. People want to know what is happening around them all the time and get to know how people are living their lives. This is the main reason there are news stations where people are informed of what is happening all around the world. In this way, they increase their general knowledge on the world affairs. Reality TV has been a hit over the recent years where a couple of celebrities or influential people film their day-to-day lives for the entertainment of the rest of the people (Partonen, 2010).

Another type of a reality show is the prank show: people are pranked on the streets for the entertainment of the audience watching the television. However, in this type, consent must be obtained from the individual for it to be aired on television. Surveillance can be used to address various issues that are present in the society. Issues such as crime in the country, infidelity among couples and even children’s safety can be captured through surveillance. For instance, the government is using surveillance to detect and monitor crime.

There are cameras in the streets that can be used to monitor crime and acts of criminals. The government mostly uses this type of surveillance so that they can keep the country safe and reduce incidences of crime. The surveillance used by the government is mostly installed on the traffic lights so that they can catch traffic offenders, and on streets where a lot of mugging and burglary happen. Other people use surveillance in their homes so that they can monitor what is happening in the rooms that they are not in (Partonen, 2010).

They are also used to monitor the rooms of their children and even the activities that happen in their houses when they are away at work. It is also used in the houses to detect cases of robbery and even the people going in and out of the houses. People who have children and leave them with nannies use surveillance to check if their children are well taken care of and are treated well (Massimi, 2011). Couples can also use surveillance especially when one of the partners suspects that they are being cheated on.

They install the camera in either their homes or their offices, so that they get to know what happens when they are not around. Technological companies, camera shops, and investigative companies sell the monitoring technology. In such shops, one would not miss getting a surveillance camera and an attendant who will show them how to use the surveillance equipment. In the workplaces, employers use surveillance to ensure that the employees are not wasting the time of the company and that they are doing work that has been allocated to them.

It makes the management sure that the employees are using the resources of the company effectively (O’Donnell, 2010). People have embraced ubiquitous technology and they are using it to ensure the safety of their homes, offices, spouses, and even their children. People who are buying data from surveillance include spouses, offices, the police department, the government and even people who are looking for entertainment. This data can also be used as evidence in the courts of law. The business produces value by ensuring that the cameras are first sold at very profitable prices.

Furthermore, the information on the surveillance may be very useful to the people. For instance, in the case of business units, the surveillance is used to ensure that everything is running smoothly. Any case of insecurity is dealt with on time before it gets worse (Massimi, 2011). Therefore, it helps the business owners to avert risks that their business may suffer from. For those that are used for entertainment, they get value by getting as many viewers as possible. The more the viewers, the more the profits made.

People like attention and that is why issues such as reality TV are getting so many fans. People like to be associated with the trendy people and see how other famous people lead their lives (Partonen, 2010). The higher the ratings the show has, the more money the show makes. They also get money from the commercials that are aired during the short breaks and even on their websites. The aim is to ensure that there is as much visibility of the products as possible. This will be judged from the sales that arise after the projects have been launched.

There are rules that surveillance has to adhere to. For instance, they have to ensure that they obtain consent of the people in the surveillance especially if the footage is to be released to the public. There are laws that protect the privacy of the people and thus if they are released to the public without their consent, it would be considered a breach of the law (O’Donnell, 2010). Those being filmed have to consent which part will be released to the public and which parts will be kept private.

There are things that cannot be aired to the public. For instance, pornographic and nude materials cannot be released to the public. However, in some cases, some of this footage is usually leaked on the internet in which case the offender can be sued successfully in a court of law (Massimi, 2011). It is illegal to present pornographic material to children and even to the national television networks. In some countries, pornography is illegal altogether and therefore any footage with any nudity and pornographic are met with uproar and public disapproval.

While this may increase the ratings of the show, it may cause the closure of the said show due to its nature. The capital needed for this type of venture comes from the person’s personal finances or through some sponsorship. The person has to make sure, that the ratings of the show will be so high and that they will be able to get some income and continue running such shows. Airing the reality shows on national television is not a cheap affair and thus can be hard to sustain using personal finances (Acquisti, 2005).

Therefore, it is important that when one is about to start producing such shows, they make sure that they have a steady stream of income. The steady income will enable them to make profits and at the same time run the shows smoothly. People have embraced such type of surveillance with a lot of enthusiasm and eagerness. As long as the show will be able to remain interesting and relevant in the society, then it is assured of higher ratings and hence higher income. References Acquisti, A. a. (2005).

Privacy and rationality in individual decision making. IEEE Security & Privacy, 26-33. Massimi, M. T. (2011). Understanding recording technologies in everyday life. IEEE Pervasive Computing, 64-71. O’Donnell, A. J. (2010). Who is watching over you? The role of shared identity in perceptions of surveillance. European Journal of Social Psychology, 135-147. Partonen, T. a.-P. (2010). Seasonal Affective Disorder: Practice and Research. Oxford: Oxford University Press.