Omniscient: A Prisoners Dilemma
Omniscient continues with Nina still fighting her way to the top of Omniscient to further her goal of finding her father's killer. The main theme of this episode is how drones affect humans, more specifically the interference with their privacy and freedom. Part of the episode even takes place in a prison where people who have been imprisoned due to the system tell Nina and other trainees that they will never know freedom until they are drone-less.
This weeks topic of culture, laws, and interaction of technology and people fits perfectly with this episode, I have before touched on the laws, or cultures such as the idea spewed by the corporate big shots, and politicians that safety is more important than privacy, and fail-safes such as the footage not being human-reviewed fit the bill of technology culture, and diffusion. However how widespread is the diffusion if only one city (to my knowledge) in the entire world decides this is the correct way of law enforcement? The people born, and around the system says it works but they are severely conditioned, their life is surrounded by technology whether it be their drone, super-advanced iPhone, or post-modern dystopian architecture that is fused with some big brother inspired layout. This is also unfolding in the episodes, with Olivia specifically, Olivia is Nina's friend and foil to Nina. She is outlandish, confident, and full of attitude despite being just as intelligent as every other trainee. Olivia however has a change of heart in the idea of being watched during the episode, as she is hooking up with a guy who is just a visitor, making him an outsider who is uncomfortable with the thought of having sex while being watched by the drone. Even after Olivia's efforts to assure him it's ok, he ultimately refuses, later Oliva admits it is weird and never thought of it before until this incident. Perhaps the characters are having a change of thought about their privacy, and freedoms, or perhaps they are coming to a grip with the reality of being watched 24/7, a rude awakening they may forget is happening constantly.
Currently, surveillance technology is a huge issue in the United States, legal and moral issues are at the forefront much like it is in Omniscient. Because the technology is considered neutral in Omnsicent many of the legal and moral obligations can be summed up by 3 "facts", 1. the system is self-monitoring and not human monitoring, 2. everyone within the city agrees to it making no one exempt to the law, and everyone in theory equal and 3. the local government backs the program and company making this. However, in real life, the idea of being monitored especially in a democratic country whose entire identity is the land of the free, and fight against tyranny such as the USA would probably not go over so well. First, our culture is nothing like that of this dystopian Brazilian city, which is another issue in itself. The entire country of Brazil is not a surveillance state, just a city, all shots of outside the city operate much like our current life. Police, security officers, and other conventional forces of protection remain outside the city, so our sample size varies greatly in comparing current day, and Omniscient.
Today in the United States most Americans would in theory disagree with losing their rights, especially constitutional ones. But where in the Constitution does it describe your right to internet privacy? Well in theory it should, as the Constitution is built to be adaptive to changing times (thanks to founding fathers), but has it since our technology and culture change so much? Is the NSA just the government equivalent to Facebook so they can "keep up with Jones" in knowing my information? Perhaps, but still, a great divide exists between our current situation where we willingly sign our information, and privacy to companies in return for usage of the newest technology, convenience, and social interaction. No one is forcing me to sign the terms and conditions of Twitter, I am not legally obligated to join Twitter, but if I was in this city Omniscient is set in, I am without consent going to monitored via drone due to my choice of entering the city, and it is legally binding. So how can I be a prisoner now, when shows like Omnscient truly show what it means to be a prisoner to a system or worse a corporation with legal backing. I think of if Twitter was operated as a social credit score system, like those in China but instead I was monitored 24/7 by Jack and his drone army, there would be a national outcry unless we all agree to like memes, and sports updates are more important then our freedom and privacy, theses issues show throughout the show, and will also push me further into whether a society could function effectively like that, I wouldn't sign over to be monitored 24/7, but how many would, just to keep up with appearances, and convenience of an easier, safer, and connected lifestyle?
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