My 90 year old girlfriend told me when I walk with my dogs past her home each morning, her Ring doorbell captures us on video and sends her an alert.
At the grocery store, I am being recorded in the aisles, at the checkout counter and when I enter and leave.
When I swam at Lifetime Fitness last week, I saw myself on camera at the front desk when I checked in and noticed cameras above the pool capturing every stroke.
It’s been reported that police can access Ring doorbell cameras and other residential security camera footage from neighborhoods easily when they are investigating crimes.
And we have all seen hundreds of videos from convenience store security cameras, ATM cameras, gas station cameras, dashboard cameras and go pros.
It’s probably best to assume we’re all being recorded all the time.
Which is kind of no big deal to me since I don’t do much wrong. I’m not a criminal. I usually don’t behave in ways I’d be ashamed to have made public. I try not to be an a$$hole.
Usually.
Then again, sometimes…
- I pick my nose
- I yell at my dogs when they go apeshit over bicycles and squirrels
- I shoot someone the finger when they tailgate me
- I cut someone off in traffic
- I say something to myself that I would never say to another person
And frequently, I probably just do things that would look weird to anyone watching a recording.
My guess is, so do you.
And so does everyone.
I have a feeling that in time, we’re all going to be a little less quick to judge and pile on. Instead. we’ll show a bit more tolerance and grace for people caught on camera doing something embarrassing, rude or out-of-character.
Right now, the internet is full of videos with accompanying comments shaming people. It’s gotten old for me already. I suspect it has for many of us.
That might not be such a bad thing.