Wherever you go in today’s world you are bound to run into someone with their camera out filming or taking pictures of the surrounding area. Because of this fact, almost every big event or any event for that matter, is caught on camera. The second that any disturbance starts, people pull out their phones and start filming as if it is second nature. This has undoubtedly helped solved outsiders judge certain cases when someone is in the wrong, but is it also helping our society act more civilized as well?
With the internet, people realize that one momentary mistake might end up crystallized in video or picture form for the rest of their lives. So generally as long as they have some control, they will attempt to stop public outbursts. Even physical fights have ended because people don’t want to be seen fighting on film and risk being held accountable. People who misbehave or act inappropriately in public now are unable to get away with it like they have in the past. In this way I think things are improving for the most part, but there is a dirty side to this entire situation.
All it takes is a simple video that captures someone committing a crime, to end up putting them away, or worse, giving them an internet persona that they will never be able to avoid. The endless videos of racist tirades of people losing their temper in a supermarket or in a mall will now be stuck with them for life. I understand people can sometimes lose their temper and say things that will completely regret in the future, which is why it is so important to be careful. One thing you say in a moment of insanity might cause you infamy for the rest of your life.
With the rise of sites like worldhiphop and youtube, getting a good interesting video that could potentially earn you money has actually incentivized some people to go out of their way and capture every situation good or bad. If someone is robbing someone, rather than calling the police, people are pulling out their phones, taking a video and commenting on how crazy the situation is. They arent doing it to be used as evidence, but rather to gain a following. Entire channels have propped up catering to the borderline exploitation of innocent victims in order to get a video they can monetize.
Even the criminals themselves have taken to filming themselves as vigilantes rather than thieves. People who steal thousands of dollars from others post their ill gotten gains on social media, bragging about how easy it is and encouraging others to do the same. Rather than these people being shamed, there are parts of the society that look up to these people. The narrative has completely changed and instead of shaming someone, certain acts glorify them. This ultimately is inevitable though because with the technology provided, you will always get the good with the bad.
In the end I would say that shaming is probably good overall for our community because it holds people accountable for the things they say and do even when they think no one is watching. While I do think there are times people snap and have a lapse of judgment, most people act like their true selves when the camera is off. In many ways the camera is more dangerous than the knife or a gun in some of these situations. People might be far more afraid of being villainized for eternity than of bodily harm. For better or worse, this is a power that most of us have now sitting in our pockets.
Thanks to @Elyaque for the badges
You have good content. Thank you for sharing. upvoted and following
Thanks i appreciate it !
I am always annoyed by people looking at me because of my condition and now they even have a camera to help them. It is just a disappointment for society in just being so impolite really.
im sorry, what condition do you have if you dont mind me asking? If it is something you cant help and people are taking pictures of you, thats really terrible.
I am a dialysis patient for about 15 years now and developed a rare bone condition on my face and spinal bone. Leontiasis and Kyphosis.
Terrible yes because it is progressing and is giving me worries.
I just went on here to find support really.
Yeah I guess you're right. We hold a weapon in our pockets that probably changes how people act in public so they wouldn't get "shot" by our cameras.
yeah its a bit like countries having nuclear weapons. It actually decreases war because they create a standoff rather than fighting.
That's a great point :)
Technology will always be in there for better and for worse but is is the same with anything that humans get to. I think the videos of people that do somwthing wrong gets forgotten really fast though since there is a lot more coming up every day. People laugh it off or get disturbed by some video or photo, then turn around and forget about it and go on to the next one.
My worry with camera shaming is that the poster can choose to show only the part that incriminates.
I witnessed an event on campus where an individual antagonized a security officer for 10-15 minutes. The security officer tried to take the high road, tried to defuse the situation. Eventually, when the security officer had exhausted his options, he called for reinforcements.
The three of them then apprehended the individual. At that point in time, the individual kept saying "Why are you doing this to me, I am not doing anything"
The video that went around via email only showed the last part of the confrontation. This made the antagonist appear to be the victim and the security guard appear to be the villain.
This definitely can be a huge problem. Selectively cutting film can make someone look like a monster. In that situation is sucks, you can really only try and sue for defamation of character, which is very hard to do.
I'd like to see the next generation of filmers.
Say an old lady is getting beaten on the street. I want to see who was standing in the crowd filming instead of calling 911.
So I say unto you all... if you see someone filming a crime and standing there like a complete dope, just to get more followers.. After you've called 911, film that dope standing there with their phone. I'd like to see them. :)
It's the emergency version of Facebook politics. "Call 911? Nah, I'll just post about it on Facebook, that's gonna help..."
There was a robbing of a giant tech store in my town a couple of days ago and people did just that instead of calling the police, they raised their phones and started filming. The worst part was that the security guard was held at gunpoint but thank god nobody got hurt. The the robbers got away btw.
Crazy, reminds me of the episode of black mirror called "White Bear" (i think) . Interesting to watch if you havent.
I do suffer of camera shaming. I do hate to be photographed by someone in the street, and being observed by others during the photoshoot, so I completely avoid that kind of situations. Sometimes when I'm goofy i ask to someone really close to me to take a shaming pic of me doing something stupid, but honestly I hate even the selfies because I feel ridiculous with my phone full of little squares trying a seduction face or something.
I definitely relate to you with this. I personally avoid cameras like the plague lol.
Honestly that's why i'm not in love with the youtubers generation, all those people recording themselves while walking on the street does not seem like a stuff to me
Nice post. Thank you for shearing
Excellent post !!
Good luck !