DENOTATIONS , CONOTATIONS , VALUES , DEBATES ETC
The BigBrother eye quite overtly presents the main focus of the show- To watch others. At first glance there is nothing more to this well known and iconic image, the eye is an obvious choice for such a television plot after all. However when looking into the connotations of the image from a media perspective this eye represents a lot more.
1) The fact that the image consists of one single eye represents the idea of 'Big Brother' society that we live in - the idea that we ( the working and middle class , the subordinate > everyone other than the elite) are subordinate to the higher, elite. In effect the show is basically mimicking the world we live in. The 14 contestants are us and 'Big Brother' the anonymous voice-over is basically the Rupert Murdock's , The British Government and the equivalent to the BNP hierarchy wise.
2) VOYEURISM!
3) By simply using an eye for the shows logo it is in effect turning a massive and highly important issue and element of todays society into a trivial and ultimately acceptable icon. The masses of moral panic and up-roar from the public surrounding increasing CCTV and surveillance is merely a past time if looking at the following of Big Brother. The shows thousands of viewers follow these housemates daily , watching their everyday activities , watch these people wake up , go to sleep , shower. Big Brother is CCTV on a public scale. Yet we as public members of society would run at the chance to criticise the government for CCTV watching us. What channel 4 initially did (now channel 5) was cleverly dumb down us as viewers. They made peoples lack of privacy entertainment , making it socially acceptable to feed off of the private lives of everyday humans , thus minimalising the lack of consencus in regards to real life surveillance.
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