Distrust and the Escalation of State Control

In our time, a sense of distrust in society has become a catalyst for radical measures to maintain order. When traditional institutions—the state, schools, and religious organizations—lose their authority, people feel unstable and vulnerable. It is precisely within this vacuum that governmental authorities try to compensate for the deficit of faith in the system by introducing stricter measures of surveillance and control to curb social deviations and restore a sense of order.

The main issue is that in the absence of mutual trust, natural self-regulation mechanisms weaken. In such circumstances, state structures increasingly strive to create external systems of control that, in their view, can neutralize negative trends and minimize the risk of destructive behavior. People who have lost faith in moral and social guidelines find themselves without the support of traditional authorities, forcing the state to resort to harsher and more coercive methods to stabilize society.

Ultimately, this dynamic of distrust and increasing control underscores the need to find a balance between state regulation and the restoration of internal cohesion. It is important to remember that only through restoring mutual trust can conditions for the secure and harmonious development of society be established.

How can the absence of trust in society lead to enhanced surveillance of people?
The lack of trust in society creates a feeling of vulnerability and instability, which, in turn, contributes to the authorities’ desire to compensate for this deficiency through increased surveillance. When people stop believing in traditional institutions—whether it is the state, educational establishments, or other structures—the idea takes hold that state control is capable of maintaining order and curbing deviations from accepted norms. Such distrust becomes a justification for the introduction of strict surveillance measures, as the state seeks to make up for the loss of internal cohesion and mutual trust with additional control mechanisms.

For example, consider the following statement, which notes that the modern person trusts no one, does not trust the state, and does not even seek support from traditional authoritative institutions:
"It was once rare for a person to become a criminal at the age of fourteen, but now a child doesn’t even have time to grow up—he is already a gangster. Until recently, there was an illusion that with the collapse of godless decades, society would rise with all its spiritual might. But the Bolsheviks have bred an entirely new person who has lost all notions of morality. This person trusts no one, does not trust the state, and sees no salvation in the Church. Because once, every school had a priest, the Law of God was taught, children were led to communion, and care was taken to ensure that they confessed." (source: link )

As this citation illustrates, the decrease in trust within society leads to a situation where people can no longer rely on traditional moral and social guidelines, which, in turn, stimulates state structures to implement surveillance measures. In the absence of mutual trust, the state attempts to fill this vacuum by introducing institutional control mechanisms to maintain order and minimize the risk of deviant behavior.

Thus, the lack of trust undermines natural self-regulation mechanisms in society, creating favorable conditions for increased surveillance, which is seen as a way to stabilize the social environment through coercive control and the regulation of citizens’ behavior.

Supporting citation(s):
"It was once rare for a person to become a criminal at the age of fourteen, but now a child doesn’t even have time to grow up—he is already a gangster. Until recently, there was an illusion that with the collapse of godless decades, society would rise with all its spiritual might. But the Bolsheviks have bred an entirely new person who has lost all notions of morality. This person trusts no one, does not trust the state, and sees no salvation in the Church. Because once, every school had a priest, the Law of God was taught, children were led to communion, and care was taken to ensure that they confessed." (source: link )