The Big Brother Metaphor - Essay Example

A big brother is to be the representative of the parents in regulating the actions of his siblings to avoid any wrongdoing being committed or any harm befalling them. In the family set-up, the big brother's role goes into action in the absence of the parents. In most cases, big brothers provide protection to their siblings and are always on the watch. In order for them to provide security and protection to their siblings, they would have to be in constant surveillance. They monitor the actions and the whereabouts of their siblings as part of their responsibilities being the eldest male sibling.

Thus, a big brother metaphor pertains to the characteristics of a concept which is similar to the actions or roles of the familial big brother at home. Any action involving the same functions or tasks of the eldest male sibling in terms of regulating and monitoring the actions of his other siblings, can be referred to as a big brother metaphor. Surveillance or the monitoring of the actions, responses and reactions of people is considered a big brother metaphor as the purpose of observing people is to check and regulate actions, attitudes and behaviors, as well as to apprehend those who have opposed the set rules and conditions.

This surveillance exists in practically all the fields of society in various degrees and magnitude. It exists in politics or government, in public and private corporations, in public utility venues, in schools, in malls and supermarkets and at home. The degree of monitoring varies because of the different purposes and reasons behind the surveillance. The specific purposes or goals may be different, but the general aim is to capture data and images at instances when the targets or those who are monitored are the least suspecting.

These instances provide the most natural reactions and tendencies of people which could give way to their true intentions and attitudes. These captured or gathered data and images serve as the basis for formulating means of evaluation or further control. The big brother metaphor is a model for decreasing the privacy of a person or an entity. The invasion of privacy issue or the rights of a person to privacy is an adversary of the big brother concept. In the concept of the big brother metaphor, surveillance is oftentimes done in secrecy to catch the person off-guard or to eliminate any kind of defense.

The gathering of information is oftentimes without the knowledge of the person being checked. The person may contest that his or her privacy has been trespassed but privacy laws have excluded certain industries or entities from liabilities. Companies may conduct background checks on newly hired employees, problematic employees, up-for-promotion employees and even those who have or are planning to resign. These background checks serve as a security for the companies in case of future problems arising from the employment of a person, and they serve as bases for hiring or maintaining employees whose personal data are acceptable to the standards of the company.

The big brother metaphor is also very crucial in the prevention of crimes, with the help of technology. Surveillance through equipment like video cameras, microphones, bugs and audio recorders among others, are important means of crime prevention. Satellites and other more sophisticated technology aid the