Opinion: Videos filmed of people without their knowledge are now ubiquitous on the internet
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Across TikTok and other social media platforms, it’s common to see videos of interviews or other scenes in public where someone approaches strangers or films them for entertainment value. Maybe it’s critiquing their outfits, looking at their interactions with each other or noting how sad it is that they’re eating at a restaurant alone.
In the past, I’ve seen these videos and barely batted an eye. Though, the more I think about it, the more disturbing it is. Someone walking along the street, reading a book in a park or having a rough day that caused them to cry doesn’t deserve to be exposed to a vast internet audience. However, seeing videos of these situations and others like it has become commonplace. They rack up millions of views, with most commenters on board with whatever narrative the creator tries to portray.
“I think it’s a jerk move to put a camera right into someone’s face,” UO freshman Sage Gassert said.
In the modern age, the power of a cell phone camera is significant. It can be used for incredible good, like when the abuses and murders perpetrated by police are filmed. However, it can also have more sinister uses, such as stalking or bullying. Even if the person being filmed isn’t doing anything they might be judged for, knowing that so many people have seen you without your knowledge or permission is terrifying to imagine.
An example of filming someone that led to intense after effects is the story of a woman, Jackie La Bonita, who filmed two girls behind her at a baseball game. La Bonita was taking a selfie and noticed that the girls were laughing at her. She decided to record and post them on her TikTok account and soon after, they were both identified and sent a wave of retribution, including doxxing. One of the women, called Abi for anonymity, had her workplace bombarded with thousands of one-star reviews.
While what the girls did to La Bonita was mean, the “internet justice” they received outweighed their childish antics. People on the internet should not be the judge, jury and executioner for the actions of strangers in a minute-long video.
“There’s someone in my dorm that went around taking selfies with random people and then ran away. I think people got upset with that,” Paige Van Nyhuis, a UO freshman, said.
While doxxing began in the 1990s, filming people in public isn’t a completely new phenomenon. Man-on-the-street interviews, or even just filming a street and seeing what one might capture, have been common for a long time. The reach and algorithm of apps like TikTok means that videos, no matter how concerning, can travel to millions of people’s screens in hours.
The legality of how people can consent to filming in public is an incredibly blurry subject. Laws vary widely around the U.S. and the world. Oregon is considered to be a two-party state, meaning that both people involved in an interaction have to give consent to be recorded. However, when filming a public gathering, the lines blur as there is no “reasonable expectation of privacy” when being on the street or in a park. Despite these gray areas, asking someone for consent to record them is always ethically the right thing to do.
“As long as you ask, I feel like it’s not a big deal,” Van Nyhuis said. “If someone doesn’t like it they can easily say ‘Don’t record me, can you delete that?’”
People crave these candid and raw glimpses into others’ lives because everyone is expected to keep up a curated appearance on social media and in life in general. While I agree with wanting to change this status quo, recording people without their knowledge is the wrong approach. For all the concern about living in a surveillance state, it’s ironic to see the public perpetuating it. And on a more concerning note, there are people whose safety can be threatened by this epidemic of random filming. They could be trying to stay hidden from an abuser or cut off contact with a toxic family. Is putting music to people just trying to get through their lives worth potentially upending them?
“I’d compare this to petting random dogs. You don’t know how they’re going to react,” Gassert said.
In the age of smartphones and addictive social media algorithms, people are living in a self-imposed panopticon, with a camera always near them. To navigate this highly visible world, respecting people’s boundaries and staying aware of the harm a short clip could potentially cause is important.