Digital Guardians or Classist Gatekeeping? It is no news that technological advancements have revolutionized our daily lives over the last few decades. Like many other technological devices, such as smartphones and computers, the proliferation of smart home devices and surveillance gadgets has also become a standard integration into our daily lives. In his article “Porch Cameras and Facebook Groups are Turning Streets into Surveillance States,” Navneet Alang details how such surveillance devices impact neighborhood dynamics. In his neighborhood of Leslieville, Toronto, where evidence of gentrification, poverty, and class struggle remains a remnant despite the appearances of high-end businesses and fancy housing communities, surveillance technologies intentionally widen the gap between the privileged and the marginalized members of the community. Moreover, fueled by the rise of…show more content… Hence, by evoking a broad emotional appeal to the audience, Alang is able to encourage the reader to reflect on how surveillance technologies and social media groups further fuel social inequality. Alang’s usage of powerful analogies when describing how surveillance technologies fuel social inequality makes it simple for the reader to digest her argument, as the analogies are familiar. For example, when talking about how gentrification has changed the neighborhood, Alang draws an analogy of a 106-year-old Maple Leaf restaurant, which was “once known as the ‘kick and stab’ and is now a high-end gastropub that anchors the neighborhood’s northern edge.” (Alang) This analogy, while giving a specific example of how the restaurant has transformed into an exclusive entertainment facility for the upper-class community in the neighborhood, also serves as an example of the broader gentrification
