Hear no evil, Speak no evil, SEE all evil
In a cyberpunk future the highly technological future leaves little room for personal privacy. With the ability for memories to be downloaded onto a hard drive, conversations to be recorded at all times, and surveillance systems wherever you turn, what does privacy even truly mean? Sadly, we are not as far away from this future as it may seem as recording technology advances every day. What started out as a way to preserve memories and document history, has morphed into a way to surveille and invade the privacy of strangers on the street. One of the most significant boundary collapses in the last five years has nothing to do with changes in climate or the breaking (and building) of literal borders, but rather entirely relates to the erase of privacy in the digital and technological age.
What Changed?
In previous years, taking a photograph was something personal and even private. By taking a picture, you were inviting others in to indulge in a day in your life. A hot coffee from your local coffee shop, you blowing out the candles to your fifth birthday cake, or even a picture of you and your friends from prom was taken for you personally to share with others if you saw fit. People were able to access a portion of your life with your consent, and it was clear that taking pictures of-or recording others without their consent was unethical and, honestly, creepy. When social media became more popular however, and websites like WorldStar encouraged people to record moments between stranger these boundaries began to bend. Enraptured by the dopamine rush of likes, views, and comments, a race to be the biggest name, have the funniest video, and/or be the most known began. No longer was your day-to-day life something kept between you and a group of friends, now moments of your life were able to be recorded and posted without your knowing or consent. The lines of privacy blurred even more when streaming became popularized. At this point it was not only normal to be constantly under surveillance but almost expected as streamers conducted twenty-four hour live-streams giving fans constant access to their daily happenings. One of the most recent, and in my opinion most stark boundary shifts came in the form of the Ray Bans Meta Glasses. These glasses allow for its wearer to record from their eye view, most of the time without the knowledge of those around them. It has also been found that many non-users of said glasses fear privacy breaches from those who own the glasses while glasses owners feel as though they get a social boost from the technological advancement (Anzolin & Nostro 2025).
Another occurrence that aided in this shift is the rise of police brutality. During instances where no one else was around, footage was the only thing that many could use to prove their innocence. Not only did the rise in police brutality aid in a subsequential rise in citizen’s journalism, but it made having a phone or recording device on you at all times almost essential. Moments that would have gone unknown and undiscussed were now available on platforms for people around the world to see. Eventually, recordings from people on the street became people’s main source of news when media stations were not reporting on what was truly happening (Yeh 2020). Because of this, people became prepared to record a strangers’ possible worst moment at the drop of a hat whether it was for safety or entertainment.
The Integration
Thus far, we understand that cyberpunk societies are marked by highly advanced technologies and weak governments. The advance in technology that has contributed to the erasure of privacy in the modern day is obvious, what I instead want to discuss is how weak government further pushes us towards a cyberpunk future. As with the last example about the rise in police brutality, the immense racism that our government was built upon and has yet to make up for pushed citizens to feel as though a camera phone was a tool of protection. With the threat of aggressions from police officers becoming increasingly more imminent for marginalized communities, technology can feel like the only thing that may be able to save your life. This is not only true for those of marginalized identities anymore as we see those who do not proudly support the government at risk for experiencing these aggressions as well. Lack of government protection, or reprimand for the perpetrators of harm actively pushes us closer to the cyberpunk future we deem unrealistic.
No AI Technology was used to create this blog post.
References
Anzolin, E., & Nostro, G. L. (2025, December 9). Focus: Ray-Ban Meta glasses take off but face privacy and competition test. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/ray-ban-meta-glasses-take-off-face-privacy-competition-test-2025-12-09/
Yeh, J. (2020, August 5). “I’m out here—I am the news for our people.” How protesters across the country are keeping informed. Columbia Journalism Review. https://www.cjr.org/united_states_project/protest-activist-news-social-media.php