[mQu]

I wouldn't say that Internet always watching can have the same effect because it's just mob of peers (humans) and ultimately can be ignored or fooled. God by definition can't. That why the concept can be disciplinary and ubiquitous. God watches you over the Internet too.

However the concept of god (or God) in technology has been touched by sci-fi many times. Gibson's Sprawl trilogy, Serial Experiments Lain, GitS, Stanisław Lem's books and many more.

If as the article stipulates humans need an external factor to be kept in line with social norms than this could be the evolution of religion.

[SomeCallMeTim]

> I wouldn't say that Internet always watching can have the same effect

Studies of whether someone would steal a bagel/donut from a box, where payment for the pastry is on the honor system ("Take a donut for a dollar!"), show that if you paste up a pair of cartoony eyes above the food, theft rates are reduced.

So it's not just about whether people feel like the Internet can be fooled. Just the fact that the Internet feels like it's watching could be enough to cause (most) people to behave ethically.

[xlm1717]

They can certainly be fooled, even deliberately, but they can only be ignored at personal peril. For example, when a corporation does something someone doesn't like, or an employee (high-ranking or not) of that company does something that someone doesn't like, there are many instances where demands were made from a corporation (apologize for so-and-so, fire so-and-so for doing this) with the threat that the corporation would be boycotted if they didn't cooperate with the demands. Society is enforcing its morals via the internet shame mob through threatening a corporation's livelihood, which I would say has the same effect as God enforcing society's morals through eternal punishment.

If you'd like specific examples of what I mentioned, simply google "internet shame mob". There are many, many examples.

[qzcx]

I would agree that social media works for shaming large corporations (brands), but not so much on the micro scale of individual people out of the public spotlight.

[pharrington]

Slut-Shaming happens on the internet too.