Powerful and evocative meditation on the nature of surveillance and the impact it has on our lives. Describes their subconscious as a "bag" into which the "pixel arrangements" of their online activity are collected. These "leaves" are "torn up" and "seep out in a pulp" when the speaker sleeps, causing them to wake up screaming.
Refers to these "leaves" as "cursed pixels" and "sigils" which "ineluctably attract themselves" to them. This suggests that the speaker feels powerless to resist the surveillance that surrounds them. They are constantly being watched and recorded, and this information is stored away, to be accessed by anyone who wants to see it.
Fear of surveillance is not unfounded. In today's world, we are constantly being monitored and tracked. Our online activity is tracked by cookies and ad trackers, our phones track our location, and our faces are captured by surveillance cameras. This data is then collected by governments and corporations, and it can be used to track our movements, monitor our activities, and predict our behavior.
Reminder that surveillance is not just a matter of privacy. It is also a matter of power and control. Surveillance can be used to silence dissent, to manipulate public opinion, and to target marginalized groups. It is a tool that can be used to keep us in line and to prevent us from challenging the status quo.
Also a reminder that we are all complicit in the surveillance state. We all use social media platforms, search engines, and other online services that collect our data. We all carry smartphones that track our location. And we all live in societies that are increasingly reliant on surveillance technologies.
Call to action. It is a reminder that we need to be aware of the surveillance that surrounds us and to challenge its legitimacy. We need to demand that our governments and corporations be transparent about how they collect and use our data. And we need to develop new technologies and social practices that protect our privacy and our freedom.
