On being watched
What makes you want to watch something?
- You are entertained by it
- You care for it
- You’re afraid of it
- You expect something from it
- You are partially responsible for it
Who watches you?
- Family and friends
- Businesses trying to sell you something
- The government, making sure you don’t do anything illegal
- People who like you or want to meet you
- People who are threatened by you
- Teachers, bosses, others who are somehow “in charge” of you
- People near you
- People who follow you
- God (maybe)
I’m sure there are lots more things in both categories.
The thing about being watched is that it can be flattering and threatening, depending on who’s doing the watching and why. Not only that, but you will change your behavior depending on who you think is watching. You change when you think you are being watched.
If someone you care about is watching, you will try to present your best self, or the self that they want to see of you. If someone threatening is watching, you will merely censor your behaviors so as not to trigger anything that they’d take action against.
When you watch someone or something, the impact you have on them depends largely on if they see you as a caring watcher or a threatening watcher. Why you are watching.
I think as the attention economy becomes more of a mainstream concept, we will start paying more attention not only to who we watch, but why we watch them, and vice versa.
2 Notes/ Hide
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laurahelenwinn liked this
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joberholtzer said:
Well said.
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bustr posted this
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