Article and Media by Tyler Lamb.
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I think this song is more relatable now than it ever was. The weird thing is, we are so used to the feeling of “being watched” that we don’t even recognize it anymore. Just look around and see everyone typing away on their phones or browsing the internet on their laptops. We are essentially carrying around devices that are constantly invading our own privacy. Why is it that the majority of people chose to ignore this? It seems as though we have become so dependent on our technology that we aren’t able to get away from the devices that invade our privacy. Isn’t it weird that we wouldn’t want someone to read our text messages, yet they are being read by the government? The sad thing is that this isn’t some tin-foil cap conspiracy anymore. We’ve all heard all the leaked information about the NSA from Edward Snowden and now this privacy issue is impossible to ignore. But wait, have we really been in the dark about these kinds of things until Snowden came along? It’s not like the NSA is a new thing that just sprouted up a year or two ago. They’ve been around for over 60 years and have had their fair share of mention in pop culture. Like the NSA scene in Good Will Hunting, or this one from the Simpsons Movie:
We’ve been aware of how sketchy the NSA, and lets face it, our government, is and has been for years. These leaks brought forward to us by Snowden aren’t anything new for the most part. But is that going to stop anyone? Even while I’m mentioning these things and pointing out how obvious it is that we really have no privacy, I’m sitting here typing on my computer, looking up things on the internet while texting and sending snapchats to my friends. Where is this false sense of security coming from for me to think that these actions are all private? Is the thought of me thinking they may be private show that the NSA is doing their job successfully? Check out this clip of some guy who isn’t famous anymore (Shia Labeouf) from 2008:
This type of thing makes me wonder why we acted so unaware and ignorant of these things. Remember, this was back when he was still a somewhat beloved movie star and wasn’t thought of as a joke. Again, this makes me wonder if it even matters that we know the details about our lack of privacy. It seems to me like we’ve been ignoring the facts for years and years, without ever getting firm confirmation. Because of this, we were able to go on about our lives and act as though everything was normal. Then Snowden came along and gave us this firm confirmation that we were being watched. What has this changed? Well, all I can say is more jokes about the NSA. Seriously, that’s it. However, who am I to judge people for this being their only reaction? It really seems as though our privacy will just deplete more and more over the years without us being able to do anything to regain it. The sad thing is, even thinking this, I’ll be the first in line to preorder the new smartphone and get connected to the new social media.
