#closedcircuittv — Public Fediverse posts

Welcome to the Panopticon

When reading a discussion of an unrelated philosophical issue, I realized that we’re living in a contraption proposed by Jeremy Bentham, the author of utilitarianism.

This is a sketch of the “panopticon”, a prison where the prisoners, “A”, lived in open, illuminated cells, all facing inwards toward a darkened central rotunda where there might be a guard, “B”, or there might not.

Although it is physically impossible for the single guard to observe all the inmates’ cells at once, the fact that the inmates cannot know when they are being watched motivates them to act as though they are all being watched at all times. They are effectively compelled to self-regulation [Wikipedia 1]

Bentham was just trying to reduce the number of guards per prisoner, per worker, patient or student.

Michel Foucault

However, the mechanism was looked at Michel Foucault, the French philosopher, who recognized it as a specific example of his theory of disciplinary power.

As an equation, it was control = hierarchy + normalization + examination [Wikipedia 2]

• Hierarchy is the structure than enables observation. There is a superior and inferiors.
• Normalization is the superiors being able to set norms. Deviation from the norms becomes visible and seen as abnormal.
• Examination is the knowledge of being watched. Being examined makes people aware they are subjects of scrutiny by their superiors. Conversely, they lack any way to have scrutiny over the superiors.

At this point, the inferiors realize that they could be outed as abnormal. To avoid that they “internalize the surveillance”, they regulate their own behavior so as to always appear normal.

Freedom becomes an illusion when you’re constantly aware that your behavior may be being observed and evaluated against norms you didn’t choose.

An Exercise for the Reader

Consider the internet, social media, closed-circuit TV, workplace monitoring, insurer access to your health records, learning management systems, credit scores and the like. Does being observed by them affect your behavior?

Are you in a panopticon, and if so, how many?