We have a habit of dismissing social media trends as inane and vapid while ignoring the disturbing undercurrent. A few weeks ago I was reminded of that when I saw an Instagram carousel by British fashion personality Alexa Chung. Shared with her 6 million followers, she showed different outfits through screenshots of herself entering and leaving her home on her security camera. Rita Ora commented, “Good angle keep this series going”. Security system company Ring commented, “Fit checks on Ring cam? Next level.”

The post caught my eye among the feed of curated noise, a counterculture take on the traditional iPhone outfit photo. Its presumed effortlessness felt intimate and off the cuff. Social media loves that sort of thing.

But something about it didn’t sit right with me. The fish-eyed lens and zoom-in and zoom-out icons made me feel voyeuristic, like I was stumbling on private footage I shouldn’t be seeing. Maybe that’s exactly what it was.

It called to mind Ring’s dystopian Super Bowl ad from earlier this year. The story of finding a lost dog using neighbours’ Ring cameras and AI tools was intended to pull at heartstrings. Instead, it was a revealing confession of how the Amazon-owned tech company leeches itself on to communities. Its ability to use facial recognition software, not to mention how it partners with local law enforcement, is deeply concerning.

On TV, we’re sold........

© The Guardian