Another tentative title and focus for my next zine

I met up with Tom this morning and he asked me if I was planning another zine. I told him about the idea behind Interfaces of Refusal, but actually I've got another idea. This one would called something like Field Notes on Ambient Surveillance and cover the way in which, over the last couple of decades, surveillance has become normalised.

It used to be the fact that 'surveillance' meant cameras you could see, guards, checkpoints, and warning signs. Now it's just in the background as things which seem benign such as read receipts, typing indicators, and location histories. It's the recommendation that seems to know a little too much about you, and serves as a reminder that there are systems that notice, store, and act on things you didn't expect to be remembered.

So indicative patterns might include things like:

• Read Receipts — proof of attention, whether or not attention was willingly given

• Typing Indicators — presence inferred from hesitation

• Last Active Status — absence converted into a timestamp

• "Helpful" Reminders — a system demonstrating that it remembers more than you do

• Recommendations — observation returned as a suggestion

• Dashboards — human activity compressed into measurable performance

• Location Histories — movement converted into a story available for later inspection

• Cameras That Are Not For You — observation justified by someone else’s safety, convenience, or insurance

• Opt-Outs — a nominal exit route located "somewhere" beneath the interface

• Blind Spots — the rare place, time, or practice in which observation fails, stops, or is actively refused

I think this feels like fertile territory for a Cognitive Wallpaper zine as it's not really about a spectacular dystopia, but about the ordinary texture of being lightly, continuously, and often voluntarily observed. I'm still pondering.