- Michel Foucault
(Visual Culture - Evans & Hall)
Part (a):
1. What is the major effect of the Panopticon?
Essentially to sustain a role of power through the idea of being constantly under surveillance; "Hence the major effect of the Panopticon; to induce in the inmate a state of conscious and permanent visibility, that assures the automatic functioning of power."(pg.65)
2. How does the architecture [institution] create and sustain a power relation independent of the person who exercises it?
The watching tower in the middle of the Panopticon allows the observer to watch but to never be seen. It's unverifiable as to whether they are always watching or not. The observer has no identity causing a "...disindividualised" power. "Unverifiable: the inmate must never know whether he is being looked at...in the central tower, one sees everything without ever being seen."(pg.65)
3. In what way is the Panopticon efficient?
By causing individuals to believe that they are constantly being watched, you begin to place them in a state of mind where they begin to watch themselves - they begin to monitor their own behaviour. This is effective in not having to use excess force or punishment which we use within many of our institutions currently; "...no more bars, no more chains, no more heavy locks...he who is subjected...to visibility, and who knows it, assumes responsibility for the constraints of power...he becomes the principle of his own subjection...perpetual victory that avoids any physical confrontation and which is always decided in advance."(pg.66)
4. How does the Panopticism do the work of a naturalist [scientist]?
It can be applied to other institutions - schools, hospitals, work offices etc. in which natural scientists can observe the differences in behavioural patterns between individuals; "It makes it possible to draw up differences, among patients...to observe the symptoms of each individual...schoolchildren...to observe performances...to distinguish 'laziness and stubbornness'...workers...possible to note the aptitudes of each worker...to calculate their wages."(pg.66)
5. In what ways was the Panopticon a laboratory?
"...it could be used as a machine to carry out experiments..."(pg.67) on how individuals would behave if told different views or theories. Example - using "different systems of thought; making certain children believe that two and two do not make four or that the moon is a cheese..." and placing them together at a later date to watch their discussions. (In terms of psychological experimentation, however, this may be seen as highly unethical.)
6. List the conditions in which Panopticism strengthens power?
"It does this in several ways...can reduce the number of those who exercise it, while increasing the number of those on whom it is exercised...possible to intervene at any moment...the constant pressure acts even before the offences, mistakes or crimes have been committed...[although] it never intervenes...without any physical instrument other than architecture and geometry, it acts directly on individuals; it gives 'power of mind over mind'...more intense; it assures its own economy...its efficacity by its...continuous functioning...automatic mechanisms...'a great and new instrument of government...great strength it is capable of giving to any institution..."(pg.68)
7. According to Julius, how is the Panoptic principle particularly useful in a society made of private individuals and the state?
It could be applied incredibly quickly in today's society as we are already individualised and separated. In an "...ever growing influence of state..." we are already under intense surveillance; "Our society is one not of spectacle, but of surveillance..."(pg.69)
8. Also according to Julius, rather than suppress the individual, what effect does the panoptic principle have?
"...it is not that the beautiful totality of the individual is amputated, repressed, altered by our social order, it is rather that the individual is carefully fabricated in it...we are part of it's mechanism."(pg.70). We will essentially begin to conform, much like the way we conform to the power of social media - it is consensual to join, but may be harder to leave as we put more and more information about ourselves on to it (Panopticon - we are being constantly watched, in this case, by our online 'friends'.)
Part (b):
Do you think social media increases the tendency for the exercise of power through surveillance?
This has not been unnoticed, however, by many.
An example of this can be found by Brighton art group 'Blast Theory' who have created an app entitled "Karen". "Karen" is a fictional character that is described as "...a life coach and she is friendly. Too friendly." She psychologically profiles you as you play.
Why have they created "Karen"?:
"We’re always looking at where technology is going, and what that might mean for culture and storytelling. At the moment we are really fascinated with big data, and particularly how governments and large companies such as Facebook are collecting data on us secretly and using it without our consent. We feel it's our job as artists to pose questions about these trend. Karen pushes the boundaries of artistic apps and uses data in a way that is playful, open and fun." (Blast Theory - kickstarter.com)
Bibliography:
Evans, J. Halls, S (editors) Visual Culture: The Reader (1999) Sage Publications Ltd.
Blast Theory (2014) Karen - An App That Psychologically Profile You as You Play [Online] https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1320191398/karen-an-app-that-psychologically-profiles-you-as?ref=nav_search
No comments:
Post a Comment