Surveillance In The Truman Show

678 Words3 Pages
The notion that society blindly accepts the reality of the world presented to them is a very disturbing one. This alarming idea fits well under the concept of constant surveillance. As victims are oblivious of their predicament¬¬¬, they can be unlawfully and continuously observed without detection, consequently allowing room for much manipulation. Individuals are made to feel isolated and threatened, have their civil liberties undermined, and be denied truthful information. The submissive and accepting nature of society allows the problems of constant surveillance to persist. Firstly, Surveillance has the ability to isolate individuals as opposed to instilling comfort and security in them. As critical observation is interrogative in nature and aimed at undermining personal privacy, individuals…show more content…
With the introduction of monitoring that is both meticulous and focused, the ability for individuals to make choices is lost. Society falls victim to the whims of big brother-esque controllers, who use surveillance footage to predict how best to manipulate specific individuals. The truth is completely discarded and replaced with fabricated data that supports the contention and produces favourable results. Actions cease to be performed, but are merely allowed to be performed. This idea is ubiquitous in Weir’s, The Truman Show, and is suggested through the problems faced by Truman when attempting to leave Seahaven. Truman ends up ‘not going anywhere’ as all forms of transport are ‘busy’. Additionally, Weir hints that all of Truman’s life choices have been planned, using the slogan, ‘How’s it going to end?’, as if his life had taken the structure of a narrative, ‘a life of mockery’ for the pleasure of the audience. By implementing manipulative techniques using constant surveillance, the actions of individuals can be influenced and exploited for personal

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