Groupthink, Transactive Memory and Surveillance

Groupthink is a process in which members of a group adopt and enforce similar ideas without questioning the implications or practicality of them. In any situation involving a number of people working together toward a common goal, there are bound to be disagreements or differences in opinion. Groupthink occurs when people stifle their objections to group decisions for fear of upsetting the group dynamic, which can result in grave consequences. This idea can be applied to the implementation of surveillance devices. Hypothetically, if the government set up methods of surveillance in private places, it could instill a great fear among the population. People would constantly be monitering their behavior and changing their way of life to correspond with government policy for fear that if they did not, they would be caught and punished. This could have serious consequences, for it puts the population in a position of complete submissiveness.

Transactive memory is a process that occurs when members of a group supply pieces of information to solve a problem or come to a conclusion. It is very effective and operates under the notion that multiple people working together and sharing ideas will produce a better result than one person alone. If the government used surveillance to collect information rather than oppress and punish people, it is possible that a positive outcome could result. The surveyed public could provide the government information that it would not have known otherwise. The government could then create policies using the information they collected that would benefit society.