Abstract
Closed-circuit television (CCTV) has become the icon of surveillance, both in popular culture as well as in actual politics. Its prosthetic forms penetrate the public sphere and spaces. This article discusses results from a study for a more differentiated view on CCTV in everyday life. Interested in the knowledge and assessments of CCTV, the author conducted a two-layered study in Hamburg. Combining a qualitative study, to explore the field and formulate hypotheses, and a quantitative survey, to test some of these assumptions, provided a rich set of data for the analysis of CCTV in everyday life. Mapping methods were used to gather material on issues such as in/security, spatial mobility, and social stereotypes. The analysis shows how spatial perceptions and socio-spatial imaginations influence the assessments of CCTV in the different research areas. With these results, the author discusses aspects of surveillance measures such as social sorting and its spatial dependencies.
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