Leo Zarosinski BFA Thesis Spring 2011

Social networking, the Panopticon, big brother, and reversion of life

Social networking and digital forms of communication, devices like
cell phones and computers and sites like Facebook and Twitter, are becoming the norm in the way that people interact with each other. With these devices we lose the intimacy of having in person interactions with other people, as well as depend more and more upon technology to communicate. As technology provides more avenues for communication, it is becoming a primary method of communication for many people. As technology expands and becomes more of an integral part of our society, so does the ability for these technological advances to be used as a form of surveillance. We have recently found that Apple has been keeping record of the locations of all of their iPhone and iPad products, monitoring their whereabouts using GPS features. Currently our government has the ability to tap into paths of communication. With these electronic means of communication expanding, so could the potential breadth of government surveillance.

I am creating a narrative that takes place in a future where social
networking and communicating through technology have become the sole method of communication. In this future, the government uses these technologies to rule over society, controlling, and mediating people’s lives.

The narrative consists of a man and woman that have broken free from the controlling system, and are attempting to revert life and human interaction back to its original state before the technological domination.

Technological forms of communication are becoming increasingly
common in our society. This provides more opportunities for our
communication to be surveilled. Looking at these observations through the lens of science fiction, we should be wary of a potential future where we no longer communicate with one another in person, physically face to face.

92 albums

Spring 2011