being watched

I used to believe that people on television sitcoms were real families that just didn't know they were being filmed and watched. I always worried about my family's life being broadcasted on television and would change my clothes and take a bath as quick as I could so no one could see. I believed this until I was about 7 or 8.

Sara

Remember how when you shut off those old tube-type TVs, the picture would shrink down vertically to a thin line, then horizontally until there was just a "dot" in the center of the blank screen? (A dot that could persist for quite some time.) Well, when I was very young, I thought that the dot was an "eye" and that the TV could spy on me when it was off. This is probably why I watched so much TV as a kid -- as long as it was on and there was a picture, I felt safe, but especially early in the morning or late at night, if I entered a room with a TV that wasn't on, I got scared.

Stanislav Jehosaphat

The closing lines of the TV show Candid Camera "Some day, somewhere, when you least except it, Someone may step up to you and say, "Smile, you're on Candid Camera!"" made quite an impression on me because I would think I was possibly being taped for Candid Camera. I would explain what I was doing for the benefit of the TV audience as I went about my day, waiting for Alan Funt to step out and say those famous words.

Broadway Baby

from when i was 5 all the way to 13 i believed that light bulb sockets with no light bulbs in were cameras so i never done any thing bad in front of them

connor

This is sad, when i was about 10, I had all these Harry Potter posters in my room and i used to think that they could see me when i was getting changed, so i refused to get changed in my room.

my friend came over one day and we were getting changed and she kept saying that the characters on the posters could see me getting changed, eventually i ended up halfway down the hallway ages from my room and i still thought that the posters could see me. I took them down after that

Kat

I watched a show on urban legends once, and one of the stories mentioned was about a hotel that equiped all of its bathrooms with "see-through" mirrors (the mirrors that are actually windows) and that people were watching on the other side. However, I thought an urban legend was defined as a real event at the time, so whenever I stayed in a hotel, I avoided going to the bathroom and was sly when taking a shower because I was afraid people could see me through the mirror.

Kristen

When my sister and I were little, we used to think that our lives were being filmed as movies. We thought they stopped the movie at night when we were sleeping and then continued it in the morning.

Mia

Growing up, my brother and I believed the people in the TV could see us just like we could see them, so we always hid somewhere if we didn't want to be seen, like if we were just in our underwear

Jack

I used to think that the people in photographs could see out through their photographed eyes. (I never stopped to wonder why I couldn't see out of any of the pictures that had been taken of me.)
I had liked to read on the toilet before that, but after I developed this delusion I wouldn't read magazines or any book with pictures on the cover while I was sitting on the toilet, just in case.

Anon

I used to pretend that the whole of reality was some sort of huge long movie about my own life. I can't remember whether or not I actually belived this. I do remember occationally doing a voice over like some kind of cosmic narrator,announcing the next great chapter in this epic. I have no idea who was supposed to be directing or producing this indulgent work of art. But, I wish I had thought to look into this at the time. For in retrospect, I would like to take the author of the sceenplay to task.

Anon

I used to believe that there were secret video cameras recording my every move. I believed that the TV I watched was of people in other countries being secretly recorded.

Sam

When I was around ten, I had a huge (and I mean HUGE) batman poster in my bedroom. I knew that when I walked from one side of my bedroom to the other, his eyes would follow me. I remember standing in front of the poster moving quickly from one side to another, jumping up and down, crouching to see if his eyes were following me. And sure enough (at least in my head) he was.

I had to eventually take down the poster because at night, I could see him look at me. At first I thought, "good, hes watching out for me" but afterwhile, the more I looked, the more mean he got.

Still have the poster too, all wrapped up and hidden in my closet some 14 years later =)

Gary Kiper

I used to think the television newscasters could see and hear me. I thought they were going to tell my teachers everything I did. I never got dressed in front of them. Ever.

paranoid

When I watched Playschool and Floella Benjamin was asking everyone to join in singing and making actions that the camera had a large screen that showed pictures of everyone watching and she could see when you weren't joining in.

billy.b

I used to believe that my posters could see me. I used to have loads of STEPS posters on my bedroom walls, and would always be on my best behaviour when I went into my bedroom, because I believed that STEPS were watching me on a TV screen , through their eyes on the posters.

squirrelchez

i used to be obsessed with orlando bloom, and i had all these pics of him on my wall. i never got changed in my room, because even though i knew they were just pieces of paper, they were still staring at me. it was really creepy. my friend felt the same way and when she had posters on her wall, shed get changed in her closet.......

i still dont get changed in my room if theres any pics of ANYONE on my wall!

anon

I used to believe that I was being watched on TV somewhere, I guess like a reality show or something, and would start acting on my best behavior and sometimes talk to the people watching .. And this was in early 90s before reality tv shows ;)

Anon

i also used to believe that i was being watched by people in the tv, but in my case it was far more serious than JUST the tv people. as a child i suppose i was something of a conspiracy theorist, i believed that someone (the "industry", kodak, the government or some other evil force) was putting tiny cameras inside the eyes of pictures and wall posters and that they could see me as well.

yup

When I was about 4 or 5, I was playing the pots and pans (like I always did almost everyday). At the time, I was also watching Sesame Street when they said something like "what's that?" And of course as a kid, I thought that they were talking about how they could hear me playing the pots and pans. Let's just say that I never played the pots and pans ever again, out of fear that I would be overheard by the characters on the television.

Megan

I used to believe that the tv station could monitor what I was watching. If a show came on that I didnt like I would quickly turn the channel, hoping they would cancel the show.

Sue