For decades, the fear of Big Brother has made citizens wary of the ways authorities use technology, skeptical of prying eyes and the invasion of our privacy.
Ironically, the proliferation of social media is turning that notion on its head. Now, we voluntarily expose ourselves online, using our smartphones to record and share every moment across social networks, using these same channels to watch and ‘monitor’ others. There’s a little bit of Big Brother, it turns out, in all of us.
Social media and real-time sharing culture is also changing the way citizens interact with authorities. Law enforcement officers are becoming increasingly aware of the power of online media, and actively using these channels to soften their image, give transparency to their actions, and enlist the help of citizens. From skateboarding mounties in Canada to reporters live-tweeting their own arrests, technology is changing the relationship we have with police in remarkable new ways.