When the Mitchell Pearce drunken shambles flashed across television screens last week it was just the latest incident of sporting hero's being undone by that instrument that resides in the pocket or purse of just about every resident of planet Earth. Even the cheapest Smartphone has a camera capable of recording in clear detail whatever it's owner chooses to record - and if the subject happens to be famous the media world will pay big money for indiscretions which attract viewer content.
For Pearce this has been a disaster. A very good living is in danger of slipping away and both his sport and his club have no other option than to dispense punishment. He must await that decision with trepidation, but he has been whisked away overseas for a six week jaunt in a rehabilitation clinic to try and curb his addiction to alcohol. He is just one of many who have graced the news cycle as a result of the excesses brought about by fame !
The ubiquitous camera also brings to notice events of public concern. Someone who made a racist rant against another passenger on a train became part of the news cycle - and was publicly shamed and forced to apologise. It seems to be becoming a reflex action to reach for the camera whenever trouble brews. Several street altercations that led to a " Coward punch " were recorded by bystanders - and resulted in the police identifying the culprit.
The latest " must have " for many is a traffic camera fitted to the windscreen of a car. This records a 360 view of the journey and in the event of an accident provides evidence to identify the guilty party. It can certainly clear up insurance claims and as with most marvels of technology, the price of a basic model is now less than the cost of a packet of cigarettes.
Some see the camera as an intrusion on privacy, but like it or not, the camera has become a part of our world and on the average day we are on a screen somewhere many thousands of times. When we walk through a shopping centre cctv record the movement of people and individual stores have internal security cameras watching over their stock. Facial identification technology allow all these cameras to search for a known suspect in the crowds passing by and this serves the purpose of establishing both an alibi for innocence, or guilt if the suspect has lied to the police about his or her whereabouts.
We - the public - have taken to cameras with unbridled enthusiasm. In the distant past, taking a picture involved considerable expense. Those were the days when pictures were recorded on film and it was necessary to pay to have that film developed to view the result. Instant digital cameras allowed the picture to be viewed in the viewfinder - and rejected if below standard - and the process repeated at no cost. As a consequence, we flood mass media such as Facebook with a pictorial illustration of our daily lives and use this to keep in touch with far distant friends.
Camera technology has changed the world. Criminals have learned not to use a car that can be traced to them. They now either steal or hijack a car and dump and burn it to remover DNA and fingerprints that may identify them, because they know that whatever car they use will be tracked by police through the cctv network. Many homes now have internal movement sensors linked to micro cameras that record burglars - and make the work of the police easy.
For the average person there is a risk factor. We now live like a fish in a clear goldfish bowl and any moment of indiscretion can come back to haunt us. Too much alcohol and an amorous moment at a party can suddenly morph into a disclosure moment on Facebook - for all the world to see.
The twenty first century may gain notoriety as the " age of the camera " !
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