Imagine this--you're being watched as you sit here in front of your computer monitor. Or, being stared at while at the checkout counter at your local supermarket.

Voyeurism. It's a trend that is happening worldwide. Digital movies are fast becoming the standard for movie making, and web cameras are becoming even more popular as people plug them into their computer and make movies of their daily lives. While the idea isn't new, with web sites like http://JenniCam having been around for years, the ability for global implication is new. Even the tastes in television have centered on the newfound voyeurism, with many networks globally introducing voyeuristic television shows. In the CBS show Survivor people are stranded on a island in the Pacific and in an experiment in Darwinism, people are voted off the island if they don't perform, while us (the world) watch their every move.

What ever happened to personal privacy? In a country where privacy is becoming more important to us every day (especially in America, the home of the gated-community), we are showing ourselves participating in our most private moments for the world to see. More and more people are allowing themselves to be watched, with thousands of people applying to be on Survivor 2 already. Where is the popularity for this trend coming from, and where did the idea come from?

When digital cameras were released back in 1996, people started to set up web sites with home movies, pictures, and even a few with streaming movies taken from a mounted camera. But, with bandwidth not being fast enough for most Internet users to be able to access or use this technology, few people could create such a place to display their life. But in 1998, when phone and cable providers started to make high bandwidth Internet connections a relatively inexpensive commodity, the technology suddenly came into place. And now, with people signing up to get cable modems every day, streaming media is a household term.

The idea to watch people isn't a new one, but the ability to do it to a massive area really is new. Media voyeurism is like every other single modern invention that has come along; it has been manipulated for the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Media voyeurism is just another flirtation with the vast amount of media that is suddenly readily available to people.

Copyright © 2000 Paul Zachary All Rights Reserved

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