'Go talk to your neighbors instead of spying on them': Security camera culture tweet sparks debate about community surveillance

Author image for Remy Millisky
Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Jan 4, 2023 5:00 PM EST

Since so many people have surveillance cameras in today's day and age, you're being watched by what seems like every house and business. One day I realized that as I walked outside, dozens of cameras were watching me. With a creeping realization like a horror movie, I realized there's nothing to be done about the intense surveillance that many people are now under. I'm not the only one who's thought about that – clearly, people have lots of thoughts on the extra surveillance that has grown in past years. 

Thanks to doorbell cameras, along with the security cameras that are on most businesses, most of us have every public moment recorded. It boggles the mind to think about! And when Twitter user @ycsm1n tweeted her thoughts on it, it sparked a debate about how to treat our neighbors. 

After you think about this 1984 situation and do some breathing into a paper bag, take a break to laugh at this small business, who got their concrete disposal extremely wrong. 

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  • 01
    Purple - yasmin @ycsmin ring camera "culture" is so bizarre. for the sake of going viral, y'all will publicly shame your neighbours for doing the most inconsequential things. gotta love our surveillance state lol
    via Miłosz Klinowski on Unsplash
  • 02
    Font - yasmin @ycsmin ring camera "culture" is so bizarre. for the sake of going viral, y'all will publicly shame your neighbours for doing the most inconsequential things. gotta love our surveillance state lol
    via @ycsm1n
  • 03
    Font - yasmin @ycsm1n in fifty years you'll probably be able to pull up a truman show style feed of your whole day as captured by the myriad of cameras and microphones embedded into every single consumer product and you won't be able to imagine a time when it was ever different. yay!
    via @ycsm1n
  • 04

    Yasmin's thread sparked debate from commenters and quote tweeters, who had some strong opinions on both sides of the issue.

    Cartoon - yasmin @ycsm1n My sister got me a ring camera from Xmas. I literately JUST set it up today and got my first victims! Can't wait to send them to jail JANUARY 1984 Fairys BER 2020 15 25 :
    via @ycsm1n
  • 05

    Some people in the replies were feeling the sentiment, while others completely disagreed with the original thread.

    Font - GREATER SYRIA the real saint levant @slayyawz Replying to @ycsm1n i just got this one tweet about someone putting trash in front of their door and they caught the person with the ring camera, but like, they said the trash gets picked up by putting it in front of ur door so i dont see the issue ?? other than annoyance
    via @ycsm1n and @slayyawz
  • 06
    Font - christoph @Halalcoholism Replying to @ycsm1n The other day some guy sassily confronted the neighbour who was flipping over his doormat. Okay sounds fair enough, why was she doing that? Because it turns out his doormat has the word "f" on it. Everyone trying to go viral with these things comes off looking bad.
    via @ycsm1n and @halalcohlism
  • 07

    Personal pet peeve! These delivery people are already surveilled by every metric possible -- why make their life even more public?

    Font - geranium X @kitakuragi Replying to @ycsm1n All those wholesome videos of delivery workers filmed through ring cameras too It's so weird
    via @ycsm1n and @kitakuragi
  • 08
    Font - bea is asleep @Bi_Bi_Babie : ●●● Replying to @ycsm1n i agree but on my ring camera we captured my boyfriend slipping on the ice and sitting on the floor to regain himself and then breaking our door handle in one night
    via @ycsm1n and @Bi_Bi_Babie

    We love a video of people slipping on ice as much as anyone, so Ring cams have a nice advantage for capturing fails on the go. 

  • 09
    Font - Stephanie Nicole Flaming Embers @StephanieN924 : Replying to @ycsm1n World would be a much better place if we'd all just leave each other alone
    via @ycsm1n and @StephanieN924
  • 10
    Organism - G 2 fredrica @stickbugginn : Replying to @ycsm1n Seriously so weird. The only footage I've ever posted from my ring doorbell was of a fox and possum running around in the snow it was so cute!
    via @ycsm1n and @stickbugginn
  • 11
    Font - BIG TIME RUSH STAN ACCOUNT @queensandal Replying to @ycsm1n My favorite was the lady who tried bashing her neighbor because every time she passed a package on her doorstep she would check the label on the package
    via @ycsm1n and @queensandal
  • 12
    Font - @c samm Replying to @ycsm1n I live in a condo & my next door neighbor is one of THOSE older wh*te ladies who does nothing but stare out the window & spy on neighbors. She has a ring doorbell & anytime I'm outside my own door either fumbling w keys or something innocent I can HEAR her approach her door.
    via @ycsm1n and @c****samm

    Some folks mentioned how it makes already nosy people even more emboldened. Ugh, come on Karen, we don't need extra prying eyes! 

  • 13
    Font - ro @latinokokonoi grown adults posting ring videos of children "picking too much halloween candy" on social media is so f bizarre
    via latinokokonoi
  • 14
    Font - cale/en/caius & | @c7press lets just stop recording ppl without their consent. its veryy weird of yall putting these randoms in the spotlight to be flamed
    via @c7press
  • 15
    Sky - idioet @haruh1ka when i lived in an apartment my downstairs neighbor had a ring camera and i had to walk past it everyday. s made me anxious!!
    via @haruh1ka
  • 16
    Font - jul @highimjul : my neighbors have ring cameras facing the whole street and blacked out tinted windows in their house. you want to see others but don't want to be seen yourself. the invasion of privacy while preserving your own is strange.
    via @highimjul
  • 17
    Font - auré @swampsapphic ring cameras completely dismantle neighborhood communities from the inside out - pls go talk to your neighbors instead of spying on them
    via @swampsapphic
  • 18
    Font - luna a @BLOODBATZ literally was just saying there's no point of them other than just spying on ur neighbors (especially since ppl have them in my small town like who tf gonna rob u??)
    via @BL00DBATZ
  • 19
    Font - A @MsNalubowa This s scares me. The fact that our every move is recorded and strangers can do with our likelihood and voices as they wish! I hate technology, man!
    via @MsNalubowa
  • 20
    Font - Eating a slaw dog in heaven with John Prine @Substantial Loaf Plenty of ways to to do 'home surveillance' that doesn't immediately make that data a part of the collective corporate/LEO data lump. Even those methods can be compromised. Consider, if possible, instead resolving the reason you might need 24/7 passive recording.
    via @SubstantialLoaf
  • 21

    This Halloween there were several viral videos of kiddies picking too much candy.

    Cheezburger Image 9723855104
    via @mrfalafelintl

    Ever think of what going viral as a child must feel like? Probably not great if you're viral for something that's frowned upon, like stealing candy.

  • 22

    Wish I were this guy!

    Cheezburger Image 9723855360
    via @kingssmythe

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surveillance kids tweets viral security camera
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