Why Not Capture a Surveillance Selfie When the Camera Never Sleeps?
Since the camera is always watching – This week, English model Alexa Chung shared a collection of images on her Instagram page, each captured by a security camera positioned outside her London home. Despite the camera’s limited field of view and grainy resolution, she appears effortlessly stylish, unbothered by the ever-watchful lens. In one shot, she’s wearing a Miu Miu green blouse and a taupe skirt, paired with white ballet flats—details visible even in the low-quality feed.
The camera’s vantage point, angled toward the street, inadvertently captures her living room, revealing the welcome mat and floorboards through the lens. This has evolved into a recurring theme for Chung, who has shared multiple doorbell camera compilations over the past several months. It could also serve as a subtle critique of her life being constantly monitored by paparazzi and tabloid photographers.
The Emergence of Surveillance Selfies
As surveillance cameras and selfies become ubiquitous, the fusion of the two has gained traction. Individuals now photograph themselves in front of self-checkout kiosks at Target or through their car’s backup cameras, turning everyday monitoring into a form of self-expression. A programmer named Morry Kolman developed a platform allowing users to repurpose New York City traffic camera feeds for personal self-images.
About one-fifth of American homes are equipped with video doorbells, making them a popular choice for capturing spontaneous moments and fitness clips. In December 2025, Jada Warren-Evans, an influencer marketer in Los Angeles, shared a sequence of videos from her Ring camera. The footage is unremarkable—like the moment she returns from a quick errand, unperturbed by the camera’s presence.
Privacy in the Spotlight
Warren-Evans noted that during gatherings, she and her roommates sometimes display a sign inviting guests to pose for the camera, blending social interaction with surveillance. Recently, London-based content creator Liv Darcey uploaded a TikTok video featuring her doorbell camera’s footage.
‘She’s always watching,’ she captioned the post, adding in an email, ‘People might be overanalyzing it. These posts creatively repurpose existing surveillance rather than making it feel glamorous. It’s more about manipulating perspectives and angles that feel less polished.’
In 2024, New York-based designer Ruby Lin shared a Ring camera series on TikTok. Initially purchased after her car was burglarized near her apartment, the device became a tool for self-expression when she noticed others using backup camera angles for creative purposes. Lin paired her videos with a humorous caption:
‘Daily greetings (and fit checks) for my assigned FBI watcher.’
Behind that joke lies a broader concern that these self-portraits are desensitizing people to the omnipresence of private company-controlled cameras.
A Cautionary Trend
Ring, Amazon’s subsidiary, has sold over 100 million smart doorbells. However, its collaboration with law enforcement has raised questions about privacy, with newer systems like Flock Safety’s also being used to track ex-partners. ‘Surveillance compliance core,’ someone wrote in a comment under Chung’s post, highlighting the trend’s growing cultural resonance.
When asked about her own decision, Warren-Evans said the balance between privacy and security gave her pause.
‘It does make me feel more safe, but I honestly don’t know who has information or access to this thing. I feel some sort of way about it. It’s weird,’ she said.
The artist and computer scientist Judith Donath suggested that this trend reflects people engaging with only the visible, appealing aspects of technology.
‘You have the footage and it’s yours, so you can use it as you like,’ she explained. ‘But it’s not just your harmless doorbell keeping you informed. That data is now part of the broader surveillance network.’
