In the reflections unit, we did a lot of exploring who we are. In film, we made a short film that let the audience understand us as a person on a deeper level. This was an intriguing unit because we got to create something that really interested us. In digital media, we did an assignment when we attended the SF MOMA that had us relate ourselves to the art. This made me think deeper and discover new things about myself. In English, we tied this all together with a Personal Essay. This was a piece that describes us as a whole. At first, it was hard to think of what to write about but my other classes really helped me in the end.
Personal Essay
The personal essay assignment really helped me learn a lot about myself. For the assignment, we had to dig deep and write stuff about ourselves that we didn’t even know. The specific personal essay that I wrote is not included down below because it is a little too personal but the piece that I have below is another thing that I feel strongly about.
There are an estimated 30 million surveillance cameras now deployed in the United States shooting 4 billion hours of footage a week. There are lots of issues rising about this topic because many people worry about their privacy rights and how these cameras are violating them. This topic affects me in a serious way because I feel that we shouldn’t have cameras since I believe that it is an invasion of privacy and that public places should get rid of them or not invest in them. Most people believe surveillance is a necessary thing in society but in reality, they will do more bad than good.
One of the main reasons that people strongly encourage public surveillance is so that the crime rate goes down. Most people who support cameras think that they will stop criminals from commiting a potential crime. One problem with this is that cameras can only do so much, a video camera can’t stop a burglar. I agree that it is nice to have cameras in case a crime happens and you want to find out who did it, but most of the time the criminal is disguised. Having footage of an unrecognizable criminal is not good for anything. If nobody is watching the cameras live they are especially useless. This might also start many other issues that were not wanted. For example, if someone is watching camera footage live and sees someone they believe to be a potential criminal they can’t just assume that they are guilty. This is going to cause people to judge others based on their looks and appearance. Lots of innocent people would be falsely accused and this would cause many issues.
Having public surveillance going on everywhere and anywhere will also cause people to believe they are being watched at every moment. People will start to think that they need to act and do everything perfectly. I believe that this will cause people to feel they can’t act human anymore. Everyone would start to go crazy thinking that they don’t have a second to themselves.
Generally speaking, I want you all to be educated and informed on this topic and know a little more about it.
Video Essay
For this assignment, we were told to create a 2 minute video that helps the viewer get to know us better or see the way we think. I enjoyed this project because it felt more personal then some of the other assignments I have done in the past. I got to focus on something very specific to me and do what I wanted with it.
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