Sociology of Self and Society

How does living in a surveillance culture impact self and relationship?
● Include a bibliography and reference properly using APA style. (Your entire paper does NOT need to be in APA style.)
● is a great resource for referencing protocol.
● Feel free to write in the first person/use “I.”
● Use a variety of required course readings deeply and extensively to support your argument.
● DO NOT use materials from outside of our class.
● Bold your thesis. Your thesis is the statement (not paragraph) which answers the above question.
● Define key terms. Be sure to explain surveillance culture (and what is involved in it), the sociological theory of self, and the role of relationship in creating
self.

Conceptual pointers
You may wish to consider the relationships between these concepts:
● Entertainment as a cultural value: performativity & the pursuit of fame
● privacy, intimacy, authenticity & bonds
● anxiety, depression, isolation, incivility
● you may want to revisit earlier course concepts, such as social saturation, the robotic moment, and others, as you find them useful in developing your argument.
You may find it helpful to consider these questions:
● What is the relationship between social media, surveillance, and social control?
● What is privacy?
● What is the relationship between mass surveillance and societal perceptions of privacy?
● Why is privacy necessary for self, trust, and self-building intimate relationships?
● How is privacy treated in American culture today?
● Is privacy seen as valuable, or even possible, in a culture which prioritizes entertainment and the pursuit of fame?

● Is entertainment culture premised in lack of privacy?
● What is the relationship between the performative self and the private self? Are they mutually exclusive?
● What is the relationship between narcissism, entertainment culture, and the pursuit of fame?
● What are the effects on the “self” and our interpersonal relationships when we live in a society which thrives on entertainment and the creation of a performance version of ourselves?

OUTLINE
Do not use any outside sources!!! Just the ones I provided. INTRODUCTION PARAGRAPH:

• Provide a brief introduction on how the self and relationships developed prior to this surveillance culture; discuss how this has changed significantly over time
• Discuss the meaning of self (i provided below) and how it develops overtime
• The self, which can be defined as “the unique set of traits, behaviors, and attitudes that distinguish one person from the next,” is a personal intrapsychic structure that is known only by the individual to whom it belongs and must initiate action, plan, observe, guide, and motivate one’s own behavior (Newman, 2010)
• The majority of self development occurs in and through interactions with others. Through these interactions, humans are able to analyze and observe how individuals act towards them, therefore “learning the meaning of themselves,” (Newman, 2010)
• Citation: Newman, D. M. (2010). Chapter 5, Building Identity: Socialization. In Sociology: Exploring the Architecture of Everyday Life (8th ed., pp. 126–128). essay, Pine Forge Press.
• Define what surveillance culture is/what it is rooted in
• Surveillance culture has completely permeated our society, using “an incrementalist approach, whereby privacy is gradually stripped away from users” (Silverman 164).
• In other words, a normalized culture of surveillance and monitoring, through technology and its various platforms (social media) was not stripped from us overnight, but rather slowly and subtly, now reaching a point at which we have handed over all autonomy to our technological devices and platforms.
• Surveillance culture is rooted in technology and upheld by the individuals in society, exercised through social media platforms, digital surveillance tools, data collection practices, etc.
• Discuss the importance of privacy:
• Discuss how privacy leads to deeper connections between
  individuals: “secrecy afterall, is not the only tool of privacy, of cutting out a space entirely of one’s own, of setting oneself apart from intruders and unwelcome companions; it is also a most powerful building and servicing tool of togetherness” (Bauman 24).
• The loss of privacy and diminishing amount of secrecy has led to ourselves becoming saturated and uninterested, as well as inauthentic and ingenuine.
  People no longer care about building these deep bonds.
• Instead our culture continues to look for reasons to share and display our secrets with the world at the cost of ourselves.
• Citation: Bauman, Z. (2011). Privacy, Secrecy, Intimacy, Human Bonds — and Other Collateral Casualties of

Liquid Modernity. 20-29 in The Hedgehog Review, Spring 2011.

• Privacy is critical for one’s sense of self, as it creates space for introspection away from public scrutiny and judgment, allowing for individuals to process their experiences and feelings away from external influence.
• THESIS!!! Use the one i gave below
• Ultimately, living in a surveillance culture has had multifaceted effects on an individual’s development of self and interpersonal relationships, greatly impacting their behavior and abilities to be authentic, altering their perceptions of privacy and eroding social cohesion, and
  fostering feelings of anxiety and stress among individuals.

BODY PARAGRAPH 1: Impact on an individual’s behavior, individuality, and authenticity. Surveillance culture may function to encourage us individuals to
self-monitor and conform to meet the standards, expectations, and appeal to society. In other words, individuals may adjust their actions, behaviors, and personality to appeal and entertain others.
Discuss how surveillance culture has encouraged us to focus on pleasing other ppl/controlling our perceptions of them, thus rejecting our development of self

• Exemplified by what I saw in We Live in Public, the relationship between Josh and Tanya was very telling of how relationships suffer if they are shown entirely to the public.
• They live-streamed their relationship, inviting the world to watch them.
• When getting into arguments, they both agreed that they were arguing
  with their ego rather than communicating and expressing their feelings in a healthy way solely for the entertainment of their viewers.
• This way of fighting encouraged viewers to suggest punishments for the other partner, and at times one partner, either Josh or Tanya would enforce them. Privacy is necessary for one’s sense of self because like Josh and Tanya, when ego overrides the self, our true intentions are clouded by the judgment and influence of others.
• Not to mention, this film depicts how surveillance culture leads to the destruction of relationships, as individuals become

completely entangled with pleasing an audience, they are willing to lose those closest to them

• Similarly, as individuals continue to try to please other people and control their perceptions of us through technology, it only acts as a disservice to our true selves.
• In “Terms of service: Social media and the price of constant connection,” Silverman explains how “in social surveillance…it invites us to participate, to become shapers of our own surveillance practices and to provide material for others to surveil…it allows us to feel as if we have an audience at any time, waiting to be summoned” (Silverman, 142).
• The presence of social media, in its many forms, provides us with a platform to be seen, validated, and heard at any time. It allows us to construct a self-identity that may not accurately reflect our individual self, but rather appeals to others most
• People may want the validation and intimacy they lack in their personal
  lives. However, going online to seek this validation is feeding the ego, not one’s self.
• Unfortunately, social media serves as a place where attention-grabbing content is incentivized, often leading to a viral form of fame that can be sudden.
• In modern culture, the entertainment and pursuit of fame is especially prioritized through social media platforms as they serve as a stage for self-promotion and the measuring ground for social validation (Twenge, 2009).
• Similarly stated by Silverman in “To Watch and Be Watched; The Viral Dream; Churnalism and the Problem of Social News”, the pursuit of viral fame has become “a path to success,” and has transformed our experience of self into a commodity!!! leading individuals to spend more time “honing their brand, developing their voice, cultivating their audience,” (Silverman, 2015).
• As cultural engagement becomes increasingly transactional and profitable (when the number of shares or likes becomes an
  indicator of success), the self becomes something to be crafted for consumption rather than for authentic expression. People begin to curate more entertainment content that would gain fame by meeting the demand of audiences that want to be entertained.
• As we attach our sense of self to the number of likes or shares we receive, we become trapped in the feedback loop (we are both the consumer and PRODUCT)

BODY PARAGRAPH 2:
Surveillance culture also contributes to alterations in one’s perception of privacy and the erosion of social cohesion among individuals;

• Discuss how privacy allows individuals to form deep connections: “by confiding one’s secrets to some selected, ‘very special’ people, while barring those secrets from all others, the webs of friendship are woven, one’s best friends appointed and retained, infinite commitments entered and
  maintained” (Bauman 25).
• Citation: Bauman, Z. (2011). Privacy, Secrecy, Intimacy, Human Bonds — and Other Collateral Casualties of Liquid Modernity. 20-29 in The
  Hedgehog Review, Spring 2011.
• We need those specific special people in our lives who we can confide in because they make us who we are. The whole world knowing our secrets is not intimate and may have greater influence on how we handle certain situations
• Privacy allows us to grow deeper with individuals and instill trust in relationships; it allows individuals to feel valued and allows individuals to feel comfortable and supported to open up/be vulnerable
• Discuss how surveillance culture has lead to People becoming increasingly more skeptical of individuals’ intentions/motives because of the climate of mistrust that this culture has fostered
• Pervasive nature of surveillance normalizes suspicion as a response to this constant monitoring; people may become conditioned to approach
  interactions and relationships with skepticism, unsure of individuals true motives/hidden agendas
• People may become more guarded and less transparent/authentic in relationships
• Gergen states, “As the chorus of competitive voices builds, “the person” as a reality beyond voice is lost. There is no voice now trusted to rescue the “real person” from the sea of portrayals” (pg. 160)
• In other words, as information is now available so easily to us through technology and so many opinions shared by so many people across the world come in, we start to lose sight of our own self and trusted opinions of those closest to us, because we no

longer have our own voice/relationships to guide us but those of many.

• citation:Gergen, K. (1991). Six, From Self to Relationship; Seven, A Collage of Postmodern Life. 139-198 in The
  Saturated Self: Dilemmas of Identity in Contemporary Life. New York, NY: Basic Books.
• Discuss how one’s gaze becomes a metric of value:
• The erosion of privacy has become so normalized in our modern society that people’s perception of privacy has completely changed. Individuals are no longer concerned with surveilling technologies that capitalize on their interests; The personal impact of always being on display is also brought up in Silverman’s “Terms of Service” as he gave the context of constant monitoring and targeted advertising which can be deeply pervasive. He states that one’s gaze becomes a metric of value, “making it almost impossible to walk down the street and not be caught up in an economic exchange between two companies.”
• Citation: Silverman, J. (2015). The Ideology of Social & The Myth of Privacy. 1-19 & 279-312 in Terms of Service: Social Media and the Price of Constant Connection. New York, NY: Harper Perennial.
  The Ideology of Social—on changing our thoughts about privacy
• “it can feel as though we don’t have control over our digital lives — over our data, our privacy, our self-control, our ability to step away from the screen for a while” (Silverman 339).
• Citation: Silverman, J. (2015). Social Media Rebellion. 333-371 in
  Terms of Service: Social Media and the Price of Constant Connection. New York, NY: Harper Perennial.

Body Paragraph 3:
While surveillance culture, technology, and social media may contribute towards the validation, spotlight, and success of an individual, it also contributes to feelings of anxiety, stress, and mental overwhelm.

• Twenge’s piece expands on this idea by highlighting how anxiety disorders, panic attacks, nervous breakdowns, and depression are becoming more and more common among younger generations, largely due to a major increase in technology use (p. 109).
• Citation: Twenge, J. (2006). 4. The Age of Anxiety (and Depression, and Loneliness): Generation Stressed. Pp. 104-136 in Generation Me. New York, NY: Free Press.
• Although this generation has an abundance of reasons to be happy, with
  increased access to technology, better medical care, more education, and cell phones, it seems as though most individuals have become more
  lonely, insecure, and plagued by “hook-up culture,” and overwhelmed by the expectations placed upon them
• Discuss how technology makes us get caught up with constantly trying to appeal to our followers, promote the “BEST” version of ourselves (often resulting in the most conformed and inauthentic), and feel anxious; people get anxious and
  insecure about their online presence and who social media sees them as.
  According to Gergen in “The Saturated Self,” social saturation eventually leads to a very complicated and fractured sense of self, while also generating overwhelming feelings of anxiety and isolation. He states, “A multiphrenic condition emerges in which one swims
  in ever-shifting, concatenating, and contentious currents of being. One bears the burden of an increasing array of oughts, of self-doubts and irrationalities,” (p. 79). In other
  words, due to the varying competing influences and perspectives given to an individual through technological means, individuals are forced to constantly navigate these social expectations and make sense of the demands placed on them.
• Citation: Gergen, K. (1991). Six, From Self to Relationship; Seven, A Collage of Postmodern Life. 139-198 in The Saturated Self: Dilemmas of Identity in
  Contemporary Life. New York, NY: Basic Books.
  “Technology helps us manage life stresses but generates anxieties of its own”(Turkle 280).
• Citation: Turkle, S. (2011). 13. Anxiety. Pp. 241-264 in Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other. New York, NY: Basic Books.
• Having our phones to fall back on in times of sadness or loneliness feels good and safe at the moment but has harmful long term effects because it causes us to slowly withdraw from real human relationships and ultimately lack appropriate time for connection and affection.
• Technology and social media are pulling us in a bunch of different directions, and constantly presenting opportunities to escape the present moment.
• Discuss the social saturation that is occurring as surveillance culture takes over:
• “social saturation also multiplies the standards available for self comparison,” (Gergen 147)
• Citation: Gergen, K. (1991). Six, From Self to Relationship; Seven, A Collage of Postmodern Life. 139-198 in The Saturated Self:
  Dilemmas of Identity in Contemporary Life. New York, NY: Basic Books.
• In other words, as our society becomes overwhelmed by the varying of voices, images, standards, and expectations being advertised through media sources, it produces feelings of extreme anxiety and depression
• As people are constantly encouraged to compare lives, bodies, experiences, etc. with others through social media, they may begin to conform to these standards
• The emotional impact of social saturation is that people no longer have a true self that belongs to them, people are becoming a product of their need to belong and fit in.
• Social saturation is creating a world in which people are not
  individuals but all strive to fit in and be just like one another. People are taking in way more information and judgment than ever before.
• People may begin to edit their pictures in hopes of being validated/appealing to followers
  Discuss how social media makes people gain a false perception of what success looks like, leading to feelings of anxiety, confusion, and declining self-perceptions/worth
• “We have been taught to expect more out of life at the very time when good jobs and nice houses are increasingly difficult to obtain. All too often, the
  result is crippling anxiety and crushing depression” (Twenge 109).
• Citation: Twenge, J (2006).4.The Age of Anxiety (and Depression, and Loneliness): Generations Stressed. 109-110 in Generation Me. New York, NY: Free Press.
• Offer a personal experience with anxiety due to social media and surveillance culture: “I have experienced the anxieties and pressures that come with surveillance culture, and specifically are promoted through social media. Social media drives home a notion that we not only should strive to succeed, but that we are deserving of it. It makes other people’s lives seem worry-free, full of expensive items and experiences, and full of happiness. The reality of this is that everyone has problems of their own, and one’s life on social media is not even half of it.”
• No one is being authentic and true to themselves on these platforms, scared to allow others to see the problems they deal with, what a non-edited photo of themselves looks like, and what they are actually interested in.
• Because of technology, user’s have become less-involved in developing interpersonal relationships and more concerned with perfecting their dating app profiles, Instagram feeds, and online persona.

Conclusion:

• Briefly summarize the three main points on how surveillance culture impacts self and relationships
• 1. Impacts individuals’ behaviors and abilities to be authentic
• 2. Alters their perception of privacy and erodes social cohesion in relationships
• 3. Fosters feelings of anxiety and stress among individuals
• Discuss how technology has become too involved with our society and culture, requiring us to gain an understanding of how much damage it has done and choosing to fix it
• Silverman argues, “When our sense of ourselves depends on being seen, on being visible and circulating through the network, then when someone chooses to opt out, the whole enterprise can be called into question” (Silverman, 314)
• In other words, our society must first acknowledge technology as a PROBLEM! In doing so, we create the space for the system to be entirely OVERTURNED
• Citation: Silverman, J. (2015). 313-314 in Terms of service: Social media and the price of constant connection. HarperCollins
  Publishers.
• Acknowledge that our society has allowed technology to seep into every aspect of our life;
• however, there needs to be a line at which these two also separate
• Could be fixed/mitigated through social media detoxes!!!
• Silverman suggests that a social media/technology detox would serve as a catalyst for individual’s regaining one’s privacy and self back, hopefully coming to develop a healthier relationship with technology (p. 337)
• citation: Silverman, J. (2015). Social Media Rebellion. 333-371 in
  Terms of Service: Social Media and the Price of Constant Connection. New York, NY: Harper Perennial.
• “Resisting those systems that are dominating us and controlling us and making us afraid to speak our minds” (Silverman 370).
• Because technology functions in ways that encourage us to conform/appeal to an audience, detoxing allows us to regain some of our originality and individuality back.
• Citation: Silverman, J. (2015). Social Media Rebellion. 333-371 in
  Terms of Service: Social Media and the Price of Constant Connection. New York, NY: Harper Perennial.
• Conclude by saying our society would be better off without surveillance culture permeating and worsening individuals sense of self and development of relationships with others
• END WITH THIS? “We are malnourished from eating a junk food diet of instant messages, emails, and phone calls, rather than the healthy food of live in person interactions” (Twenge 110).
• Twenge, J. (2006). 4. The Age of Anxiety (and Depression, and Loneliness): Generation Stressed.. Pp. 104-136 in Generation Me. New York, NY: Free Press.

REFERENCES:
Silverman, J. (2015). To Watch and Be Watched; The Viral Dream; Churnalism and the Problem of Social News. 129-154, 65-99, & 101-128 in Terms of Service: Social Media and the Price of Constant Connection. New York, NY: Harper Perennial.

Silverman, J. (2015). Terms of service: Social media and the price of constant connection. HarperCollins Publishers, p. 142.

Twenge, J. (2009). Chapter 6: Superspreaders! The Celebrity and Media Transmission of Narcissism. 90-106 in The Narcissism Epidemic. New York, NY: Atria Paperback.
Josh, H. (Josh Harris). 2009. We Live in Public [Documentry] Sundance.

Bauman, Z. (2011). Privacy, Secrecy, Intimacy, Human Bonds — and Other Collateral Casualties of Liquid Modernity. 20-29 in The Hedgehog Review, Spring 2011.