Viral Hooks
Trending short videosExplaining the modern surveillance gaze
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@var.aunevik

Instagram · Talking Head Edit

@var.aunevik Had to bring out my orwell tshirt from the back of my closet for this one, so ignore the wrinkles. John Berger said that “men act and women appear. Men look at women. Women watch themselves being looked at.” Which is the internalized male gaze, that women learn to see themselves through a male eye, because that’s how paintings, images, ads, and movies have framed us for decades. And it is still very much there, but now I think we are starting to see another layer in addition to it. Because you often see yourself the way you’ve been shown yourself. So what happens when the feed is flooded with CCTV lookbooks, doorbell fit checks, celebrities like Kylie Jenner in meta glasses? Do you feel the need to act as if there is someone else there, even when you are all alone? The internalized Orwellian gaze I will call it, in lack of better terms. I have to admit I do, but maybe I am just being a bit paranoid.

View original on Instagram

The edit1 shot · 8 text
Shots Text1:20

Performance

Views
137.6K
Likes
6.5K
Comments
61
Engagement
4.8%
Length · 17 Jul 2026
1:20

Video #41931 · Talking Head Edit

Explaining the modern surveillance gazefrom @var.aunevik

[01]

Overview

The creator explains the concept of the 'Orwellian Gaze,' a societal phenomenon where constant surveillance is normalized and internalized by everyone. She draws a parallel to the feminist concept of the 'male gaze,' provides contemporary examples from fashion and social media trends, and questions the psychological impact of never feeling truly unobserved, which hinders self-knowledge.

[02]

Simple outline

  1. 1Pose relatable feeling
  2. 2Reframe with known theory
  3. 3Introduce new, broader theory
  4. 4Show contemporary proof
  5. 5Question the consequence

[03]

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[04]

Classification

Format
Talking Head Edit
Concepts
Breakdown
Elements
B-Roll CutawayText OverlayArchival FootageTitle Text Hook
Account
Personal Brand
Topics
SociologyPhilosophyCultureTech

[05]

Hook analysis

What stops the scroll in the first 3 seconds

Title hook · 35%

The Orwellian Gaze

Verbal hook · 50%

Do you ever feel watched even when you know you're alone?

Visual hook · 15%

A direct-to-camera shot of the speaker wearing a t-shirt with the handwritten phrase 'Make Orwell fiction again,' immediately establishing the video's theme. A framed portrait of a man resembling George Orwell is visible in the background.

[06]

Hook template

Steal this for your own video

Do you ever feel [unsettling psychological experience] even when you know [the logical reason it shouldn't be happening]?

  • — Do you ever feel like you're being judged even when you know no one is watching you?
  • — Do you ever feel guilty for resting even when you know you've earned it?
  • — Do you ever feel like a fraud even when you know you're fully qualified for the job?

[07]

Hook and payoff

The promise the opener makes, and how the video pays it back

Hook

A direct, relatable question that taps into a common but unspoken feeling, immediately engaging the viewer's personal experience.

Payoff

A final, piercing question that mirrors the opening hook, forcing the viewer to apply the entire argument to their own life and leaving them with a lingering sense of unease and introspection.

[08]

Narrative framework

The structural pattern this video runs on

Framework

The Concept Expansion Blueprint

To introduce a novel theory by first grounding the audience in a familiar, related concept, and then expanding upon it with modern evidence to reveal unsettling, universal implications.

  1. 1

    The Foundational Framework

    Introduce a well-established concept or theory from a related field to provide intellectual credibility and a familiar starting point for the audience.

  2. 2

    The Universal Pivot & Thesis Coinage

    Widen the scope of the initial concept from a specific group to 'everyone,' and introduce a new, memorable name for this expanded phenomenon, establishing the video's core thesis.

  3. 3

    The Modern Evidence Montage

    Provide a rapid succession of contemporary, culturally relevant visual examples that prove the new thesis is not just theoretical but actively happening in the real world.

  4. 4

    The Unsettling Inquiry

    Pose a series of rhetorical questions about the new phenomenon's underlying power dynamics and purpose, creating intellectual tension and a sense of mystery.

  5. 5

    The Behavioral Consequence

    Explain the specific, negative change in human behavior that results from internalizing this new phenomenon, framing it as a form of self-limitation or commodification.

Themes

  • Surveillance culture
  • Self-perception
  • Internalization
  • Technology and society
  • Feminist theory

Techniques

  • Theoretical analysis
  • Cultural commentary
  • Visual evidence

Trends

  • Surveillance aesthetic
  • Video essay

Post caption

Had to bring out my orwell tshirt from the back of my closet for this one, so ignore the wrinkles. John Berger said that “men act and women appear. Men look at women. Women watch themselves being looked at.” Which is the internalized male gaze, that women learn to see themselves through a male eye, because that’s how paintings, images, ads, and movies have framed us for decades. And it is still very much there, but now I think we are starting to see another layer in addition to it. Because you often see yourself the way you’ve been shown yourself. So what happens when the feed is flooded with CCTV lookbooks, doorbell fit checks, celebrities like Kylie Jenner in meta glasses? Do you feel the need to act as if there is someone else there, even when you are all alone? The internalized Orwellian gaze I will call it, in lack of better terms. I have to admit I do, but maybe I am just being a bit paranoid.

Text overlays

  • title · beginning

    The Orwellian Gaze

  • contextual · beginning

    John Berger

  • informational · beginning

    Men act and women appear. Men look at women. Women watch themselves being looked at.

  • contextual · middle

    The Orwellian Gaze

  • branding · middle

    @alexachung

  • branding · middle

    @shadrinsky @marcjacobs

  • contextual · end

    Philip Garner

  • contextual · end

    Rafael Gomez - "A Moving Mirror"

Transcript

You ever feel watched even when you know you're alone? John Berger once said that men act and women appear. He was talking about how a woman doesn't need a man in the room in order to be watched. She carries the watcher with her. The awareness that you are, at any moment, potentially being seen and judged is a familiar one for most women. But now it seems like it's starting to encompass everyone. How inclusive. And I'm not saying the male gaze is the same as what I will call for rank of a better term, the Orwellian gaze. The normalization of surveillance through high fashion and social media trends Like celebrities wearing surveillance tech as accessories or models using doorbell cameras as their fit check and lookbooks shot through CCTV cameras. But isn't this how a gaze gets internalized? You often see yourself the way you've been shown worse. And for women that has for long been through media. Male directed movies, man made paintings and mad men ads. So what happens when you're shown yourself through surveillance footage? And if the internalized male gaze made women appear for men, who does the Orwellian gaze make us appear for? The government? Big tech? Big brother? Maybe you're not supposed to no. Maybe the uncertainty is part of the case. You only know one thing that you should behave and so you turn yourself into a commodity, a hyper optimized body and persona. Even when you're technically alone, the walls somehow have piercing eyes, which means you never really get the thing self knowledge actually requires being and feeling completely unobserved. Because when was the last time you felt a 100% alone?

Explaining the modern surveillance gaze | Viral Hooks