Citoyens sous Surveillance by Wolfgang Sofsky

Citoyens sous Surveillance

by Wolfgang Sofsky is a new and brilliant book published by Editions L'Herne.

What is personal freedom and does it exist anymore?

In this book, very clear, and for everyone interested to the topic, Wolfgang Sofsky analyzes every portion of our human being seen with the eyes of our post-modernity, starting with that situations that keep us trapped and spied in a daily base by big companies. 

If in the past the state tried to limiting the freedom of people with methods pretty strong and violents, the current methodology adopted passes through... docility. People are happy to be spied, and in most cases they don't know that they are spied or that they represent a lot in the hands of big companies all happy and cheerful of understand what they like, dislike.  

I guess that no one is imagining that this one is like a big brother: we are controlled  massively in all our various aspects of the existence. Social medias, cameras, cards that can tell to others our likes, where we go, our tastes, favorite food: TV decoders, and what we watch... Maybe most people don't care, but if we would just think for a while at the system created, we would all scream: help! I don't want to be controlled, I want my old freedom. Because the reality is that we are all controlled. 

While we are walking, while we are working, while we are writing, while we are shopping I imagine us all surrounded by invisible, cages that are limiting in a most fine distinction, we don't know this, our personal freedom.

Sofsky doesn't forget other existentials thematic like sexual appetites, or abuse or use of drugs, that, if in the past were defined in a private sphere, sometimes now they emerge, like also situations of shame that a man can proves for the most diversified reasons. Private sphere is analyzed taking in consideration the entirity of the human being. 

The final chapter is dedicated to the current pandemic and what it meant to us the old freedom: a maskless world. But...Is it a freedom that we realistically lost, that one? No: in this case the one of the masks is a freedom that we have conquered, because, not adopting this method, that must be implemented with social distancing and keeping clean hands, we would all fall sick. Can you see it? We can touch this new freedom: the mask is visible: we put it on our face and the message that amicably we all spread wearing it is the possibility of staying healthy. 

The mask means freedom, kindness, respect: the mask is freedom from illness for us and for our dear ones and strangers that we meet in a daily base.

Our new heroine of freedom, the mask, is keeping us free from this invisible enemy that could theoretically be everywhere and could potentially kill us and the rest of our community: COVID.

I highly recommend this book to everyone! You'll see: you'll love it! 

I thank Editions de L'Herne for the physical copy of the book.

Anna Maria Polidori