This week, we discussed the relationship between images and power. One of the ways in which power is expressed through images is the concept of Panopticism. Developed by French philosopher Michel Foucaul, the theory originates from the structure of the Panopticon, a "perfect" prison. The shape of the Panopticon is a circle, with the inmate's cells arranged along its circumference. At the center of the circle of cells stands an observation tower that allows a full view of the inmates and their activity. Due to the prison guards' ability to watch their every move, the inmates are more inclined to behave. Foucaul takes the premise of the Panopticon and elaborates upon the function of discipline in the prison, and disciplinary mechanisms in everyday society, as to illustrate the function of discipline as an apparatus of power.
A central idea to Foucault's Panopticism is the systematic ordering and controlling of human populations through subtle and often unseen forces. A modern example of such a control over society can be seen in the implementation of surveillance cameras. Their function, to survey and record actions of citizens, has a kind of "big brother" effect. Though we can't always see exactly where these surveillance cameras are located, we still recognize their existence and the high likelihood of them appearing in specific social settings such as grocery stores, bank ATMs, and casinos. With this recognition, we act accordingly—following societal norms and conventions—in these specific social settings. Here, the subtle and unseen force of surveillance cameras and their ability to record our every move causes us to behave similarly to the prisoners in the Panopticon.
Have a great Spring Break!
Oh and I found this and LOL'd:
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