Truman Show Essay Example for Free

Truman Show Essay Society watches and is attracted to these shows because they are supposed to relate to ordinary people’s lives. Even though it appears that their real lives are playing out on television, it is not as real as it seems when compared to people’s â€Å"real† lives. These â€Å"actors† have nothing to fear. They have security guards surrounding them when filming the show. They do not have to pay for anything because the company pays for their needs and wants. The director cuts and edits the clips to show the adience how he wants the actors’ lives and show to appear. The only difference between the reality shows of today and the Truman show is that Truman was not aware that he was part of a show. In today’s reality shows, the actors are very aware of their surroundings and display behavior that will make the shows more amusing to their audience. Truman’s world was in a way almost a â€Å"utopia† with no worries and no fear. It was, however, repetitive. Every day was the same. There were no difficult choices to make; much like reality television is portrayed today. The decisions they make and the outcomes do not truly reflect what would happen if an ordinary person does the same. The actors in today’s reality television have welcomed the public eye to see everything they are doing, but this isn’t true for everyone in society. While the rest of the society hasn’t invited anyone to track their actions, government and other organizations are already doing this in many ways. These groups have the ability to put up surveillance cameras to track when people are in different locations. They can track internet, credit card and cell phone usage. When traveling by a cell tower, for example, the tower stores the location information in a database. It is ready to be revealed to any government official when solicited (ACLU). Purchases can be tracked, along with, vacations, hotel stays, etc. According to an article written by Daniel J. Solove, for The Chronicle of Higher Education, the most common response to privacy advocates is â€Å"Only if you’re doing something wrong should you worry, and then you don’t deserve to keep it private. † (cite ). The problem with the government collecting private information goes beyond someone doing right or wrong. Some of the problems resulting from collecting and using personal data include the fact that people do not know that this data is being collected about them. They cannot fix an issue if they do not know this technology exists. Another problem with government gathering and using personal data is the distortion of the data. It often fails to reflect the whole person and can paint an untrue picture (Chronicle). Privacy is not typically lost with one major action, but it occurs over time with many pieces of information being collected and used to make assumptions about a person. The question is can it be stopped? The best way to slow down the invasion of privacy is to be careful of the information a person is freely giving out, especially on the internet. Information provided in emails, Facebook, on-line shopping sites, use of credit-cards, or completing surveys for a â€Å"free-gift† all contribute to an ongoing database of personal information. Consumers can continue to express their opinions with government representatives on how this personal information is collected and used. Those who want an increase in privacy should encourage the policy makers to look at the spending programs, regulatory agencies, privacy-invading regulations and investigative agencies for influence (Privacilla). The Truman show portrays the government or â€Å"creator† as having all personal information of Truman and is able to influence and control his entire life. This is not a future that society wishes to imitate. Bibliography ACLU. American Civil Liberties Union. American Civil Liberties Union. ACLU, n. d. Web. 12 May 2013. Privacilla. Welcome to Privacilla. org. Welcome to Privacilla. org. Privacilla, 3 June 2012. Web. 12 May 2013. Solove, Daniel J. Why Privacy Matters. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Chronicle Review, 15 May 2011. Web. 12 May 2013.