To begin my analysis of the webcam as an emerging cinematic medium, I distinguish between webcams and CCTV. Once this distinction has been established, I examine the relation between owners and cameras to identify the origin of different levels of affect with repercussions on individual behaviour in the public spaces.

Internalizing the Camera

In this first chapter, I take the more personal relation held by many towards cameras as the point of departure, by exploring issues of ownership as well as examining the ways in which an awareness of constant observation affects people in the streets; in other words, the ways in which this awareness influences both behaviour and processes of subjectification. In a world where cameras are ubiquitous, people have grown accustomed to the less-than-invisible presence of these cameras, even when they choose to remain oblivious to the influence they have on their daily routines. The simple presence of this multitude of cameras makes the world cinematic, even if the devices may not be switched on, or connected to a recorder or monitoring facility.

This means that the world is expected to be filmed, regardless of whether that potential ever becomes actualized. As a consequence, the pervasiveness of the cameras has created concerns about issues pertaining to the privacy of the individual. Such issues have preoccupied legislators and philosophers alike, but have also been addressed by artists. Already in 1969, the performance artist Yoko Ono made a film together with her husband entitled Rape, in which she openly criticizes the media's disrespect for personal privacy.