Well, the question is whether we did we ever NOT live in one?
I think the MSM tries to spin the whole CHINA SOCIAL CREDIT AND SURVEILLENCE SOCIETY angle to draw attention away from the same problems westerners/Americans face in their own countries.
In Toronto, there was a big outrage 20 years ago when the police first installed some CCTV cameras at certain high incident intersections. These things were the size of toasters and very visible with big logos, and expensive. Now I noticed they've installed more and more cameras all over the city in "stealth mounts", very low profile, maybe the size of half a tennis ball. These cannot be considered deterrents because they are so small.
That article also pointed out the most obvious shortcoming of civil society, whether we are in a democracy or authoritarian government, the ones that make the rules always have the advantage. The American government (regardless of level) cannot wantonly collect information on you without warrants, but since you "consent" to Google tracking your searches, GMail, etc. and sell this information to advertisers. Well, technically it is legal to "buy" this information without a warrant.
So to me, the only difference between CHINA SURVEILLANCE SOCIETY and DEMOCRATIC FREEDOM WEST is if the Chinese government wants to get you, you're cooked. If you are in a democratic country, you might have a hope if you are rich and can afford good lawyers (ie OJ Simpson).