Michel Foucault (1977) describes Bentham’s 18th century invention, the Panopticon, and how it is architecturally designed to successfully discipline and punish. The Panopticon imprisons individuals but “reverses the principle of the dungeon” which is to hide in the dark. Instead, it works to illuminate each cell and create full visibility for its captives, leaving them naked to the gaze of their supervisors. In this case, visibility becomes a trap (p. 200).
The two fundamentals behind the function of the Panopticon are that power must always be visible and unverifiable. This means the prisoner is always aware of surveillance but can never verify whether he is being watched at any given moment (p. 201).
In reading Foucault, I thought of the way Catholics seem to carry their guilt with them (Albertsen, O’Connor & Berry 2006). It must be a heavy load for an individual to bear through life, knowing that their omnipresent god is watching their every move. I also thought of my childhood, where my mother would warn me that she had eyes in the back of her head. I was convinced that she did and made sure to behave in her presence.
Something I couldn't comprehend until I was around 15 was why people paid for their petrol instead of just driving away with a free full tank. If the attendant doesn’t come out and ask you for money, why should you go in and pay? It’s because we know the cameras are watching and we know it won’t be long until the consequences catch up with us. The same goes for speed and red light cameras. If we weren’t so worried about the cameras that watch us and nail us with hefty fines, I’m sure the road would be a free for all.
Modern panopticism is evident on the internet where ISPs are able to track users’ activities and then sell on this information to corporate advertisers. One of the ways people react to this abuse of power on the internet is through hacktivism. This is often accomplished by overloading servers and taking websites offline. The most famous hacktivist group started online on the 4chan website (2011) and call themselves ‘Anonymous’. They first became famous for protesting against scientology but have had many other projects since. Their latest target is Sony, who they are threatening to send offline if a pending lawsuit against one of their hackers isn't dropped (Baker 2011).
Famous people such as politicians and celebrities spend their lives modifying their behaviours for the camera. Even if they are holidaying on the other side of the world there is a chance that paparazzi or journalists have followed to catch them in their worst light. Famous people, much like the prisoners of the Panopticon lose their invisibility. They are forever recognised by the public and are therefore also naked to the gaze of the public.
Panopticism is a frightening concept as it appears no single person in the modern world is completely immune to its all-seeing gaze.
References
4chan, 2011, ‘Press’, viewed 11 April 2011, http://www.4chan.org/press/.
Albertsen, E., O'Connor, L., & Berry, J. 2006, 'Religion and interpersonal guilt: Variations across ethnicity and spirituality', Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 9, 1, pp. 67-84.
Baker, E. 2011, ‘Anonymous Hacktivists Wage Web-War on Sony’, Ninemsn, viewed 9 April, 2011, http://digiknow.ninemsn.com.au/internet/internetfeatures/8233471/anonymous-hacktivists-wages-web-war-on-sony.
Foucault, M. 1977, Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison, translated by Alan Sheridan, Penguin, London.
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