“Panopticism is the general principle of a new ‘political anatomy’ whose object and end are not the relations of sovereignty but the relations of discipline”
Michel Foucault (327)
This quote by Michel Foucault addresses the idea that traditional methods of sovereignty have changed form over time shaping a new ‘political anatomy’ based on disciplinary mechanisms. In his essay, Foucault describes that this new form of dominant sovereignty no longer requires the use of force to divide and conquer but rather the use of surveillance. Foucault describes the birth of this new ‘political anatomy’ as a product of Jeremy Bentham’s Panopticon. Bentham’s Panopticon was an annular prison that utilized isolation and visibility to control inmate’s behavior. Inmates were separated and individually placed in a fully lit cell with only a large tower observation tower to look at. The tower was built in such a way that guards could observe its prisoners but the prisoners could not observe the guards. This created a fear of the unknown among the isolated inmates, they didn’t know when they were or were not being observed. “He is seen, but he does not see; he is the object of information, never a subject of communication” (320). This quote by Foucault outlines the basic ideas of the Bentham Panopticon. Foucault argues in his essay that this same panoptic design has been implemented in modern society. Although the Bentham Panopticon may seem to be less barbaric prison in comparison to traditional standards it is, in all reality, just as barbaric because instead of manipulating force to control it’s manipulating the mind and sole. Bentham’s prison has set the foundation for the modern ‘anatomy of politics’. It seems today that we are no longer barbarically overruled by a dominant supremacy yet this outwardly ‘less barbaric’ new form of modern sovereignty is, as Foucault hints, the same barbaric form of supreme dominance just in different form.
Foucault talks about a plague-stricken town that is quarantined and subdivided into small manageable sections. The people of the town are contained by authorities and are stripped of their ability to go outside their house. They are isolated from the rest of the town, they come to the window of their house only when the authorities call for them. The people of the town have no visibility they only see what the authorities want them to see of the outside world. This is ruling by means of power. Today it may seem that this method of sovereignty is long gone but according to Foucault we are still being ruled in the same way just by different means. We may think that we have visibly in the modern day and age but we are really only seeing what authority wants us to see. “Visibility is a trap” (321). Foucault is referring to how visibility gives off the illusion of freedom however visibility is also is the root of all modern day disciplinary mechanisms. Think of modern day satellites orbiting our earth, for everyone that is pointed into space there are countless other pointed down at earth. Think of satellites as Bentham’s modern day observation towers but now they are much higher and practically impossible to know when you are being watched. Despite this giant overhead watchtower spying down on us we go along our daily lives with what we believe to be perfect visibility. We are under constant surveillance everyday; this constant power over us is what contemporary culture has accepted as the “civilized” approach to enforcing discipline in society. Just as in advertising, we see what we are supposed to see, we are given this full visibility of life that ultimately blinds us from seeing it’s true underlying corruption. This new anatomy of politics is the same as the old anatomy of politics; just now we have a higher observation tower and a broader range of visibility.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
The Awareness of Surveillance on Social Order
Every moment of everyday we are being monitored. We go through our day-to-day routines not seeing the constant surveillance all around us. When most people hear the word “surveillance” they usually think of being observed by simple, relatively low technology methods such as being spied on from a distance through binoculars or being recorded on store surveillance camera. However, surveillance extends to a much broader extent. Surveillance is observing the actions of people or groups from a position of higher authority. For 24-hours I recorded of all the times I was being electronically surveilled. I learned that everyday we are observed and monitored in more ways than most think. WE GO THROUGH OUR DAILY LIVES UNDER CONSTANT SURVEILLANCE NEVER KNOWING WHEN WE ARE BEING WATCHED OR WHERE WE ARE BEING WATCHED FROM.
Upon waking on Tuesday, February 13, 2007 I picked up my cell phone and called one of my classmates for us to meet up before our 9:30 AM lecture. Even though the call only lasted 23 seconds, all of my personal information instantly became public. People no longer have to ‘bug’ phone lines, they can legally snatch your cell phone calls right out of the air.
Privacy is a thing of the past, you can be getting spied on and never even know it. After class I went onto my computer and checked my email account. I decided to download a spyware tracking program to scan my computer and sure enough I found over 40 infected documents. Spyware documents were unknowingly embedded in my computer and were collecting and transmitting my personal information.
My next class was in Kane Hall. On my way to class I walked through Red Square and noticed that streaming video was being taken of me and broadcasted on the internet. Students at the University of Washington have a streaming video feed of Red Square on their MyUW home page. I walk through Red Square everyday and never realized that I was being watched. After class I stopped by the ATM to get some cash, while I was doing so I noticed the built-in camera on the ATM staring back at me. Later that night I made my way to the IMA for a quick workout, I swiped my Husky Card to gain access to the facility. For the first time I realized that every time I swipe my card I am contributing to the University of Washington’s electronic data records. Each time I swipe my card I go into the electronic database and get sorted based on gender and graduation year. Every time you make a phone call, withdraw money from an ATM, or swipe you’re a card you are generating an electronic record.
In the 24-hour period I recorded 11 instances of electronic surveillance. Including such instances regarding traffic cameras and home security systems. Realizing all the surveillance surrounding my daily life made me hesitant to behave normally in public. Surveillance is a powerful psychological tool, as English legal philosopher Jeremy Bentham discovered with the invention of the panopticon prison. In this prison guards could observe prisoners without the prisoners being able to see them. Prisoners would therefore behave themselves because they didn't’ know if they were being monitored or not. Bentham calls this the “Inspection Principle” which is prevalent in our society today, for instance, many stores have fake surveillance cameras that do a good job in scaring off criminals. In my 24-hour period I too experienced Bentham’s Principle, once I realized that I could be under surveillance at any point in my day, my behavior instinctively changed. Surveillance is a tool of control that serves both good and bad. According to Foucault, America has evolved into a “Carceral Society”, a society run entirely on the basis of discipline by means of surveillance.
Upon waking on Tuesday, February 13, 2007 I picked up my cell phone and called one of my classmates for us to meet up before our 9:30 AM lecture. Even though the call only lasted 23 seconds, all of my personal information instantly became public. People no longer have to ‘bug’ phone lines, they can legally snatch your cell phone calls right out of the air.
Privacy is a thing of the past, you can be getting spied on and never even know it. After class I went onto my computer and checked my email account. I decided to download a spyware tracking program to scan my computer and sure enough I found over 40 infected documents. Spyware documents were unknowingly embedded in my computer and were collecting and transmitting my personal information.
My next class was in Kane Hall. On my way to class I walked through Red Square and noticed that streaming video was being taken of me and broadcasted on the internet. Students at the University of Washington have a streaming video feed of Red Square on their MyUW home page. I walk through Red Square everyday and never realized that I was being watched. After class I stopped by the ATM to get some cash, while I was doing so I noticed the built-in camera on the ATM staring back at me. Later that night I made my way to the IMA for a quick workout, I swiped my Husky Card to gain access to the facility. For the first time I realized that every time I swipe my card I am contributing to the University of Washington’s electronic data records. Each time I swipe my card I go into the electronic database and get sorted based on gender and graduation year. Every time you make a phone call, withdraw money from an ATM, or swipe you’re a card you are generating an electronic record.
In the 24-hour period I recorded 11 instances of electronic surveillance. Including such instances regarding traffic cameras and home security systems. Realizing all the surveillance surrounding my daily life made me hesitant to behave normally in public. Surveillance is a powerful psychological tool, as English legal philosopher Jeremy Bentham discovered with the invention of the panopticon prison. In this prison guards could observe prisoners without the prisoners being able to see them. Prisoners would therefore behave themselves because they didn't’ know if they were being monitored or not. Bentham calls this the “Inspection Principle” which is prevalent in our society today, for instance, many stores have fake surveillance cameras that do a good job in scaring off criminals. In my 24-hour period I too experienced Bentham’s Principle, once I realized that I could be under surveillance at any point in my day, my behavior instinctively changed. Surveillance is a tool of control that serves both good and bad. According to Foucault, America has evolved into a “Carceral Society”, a society run entirely on the basis of discipline by means of surveillance.
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