Understanding Surveillance Societies: Social Cognition and the Adoption of Surveillance Technologies

Surveillance technologies have come to occupy a central position in human affairs, whether in terms of CCT cameras, smart homes, or network security technologies. Due to function creep and the relative invisibility of these technologies, individuals and societies continue to grapple with the potential trade-offs between security, convenience, and privacy. The attitudes toward surveillance technologies appear to differ significantly between groups and societies. Following a review of surveillance technologies and the ethical issues associated with them, the present study suggests that a number of social-cognitive factors (e.g., group size, social identity, relational models, and conformity bias) likely affect the acceptance and adoption of surveillance technologies within a group.