Went for facebook because I actually feel particularly strongly about the issues at hand and although they were discussed in the seminar I wanted to further my understanding in relation to social networking sites and panopticism.
The term panopticism can mean 'all seeing'. It applies the idea that people do not need to be physically constrained or controlled to maintain law and order. The theory works on the anxiety that people feel from being watched which in turn becomes a tool of control. One application of panopticism is the panopticon, utilising the facade of control without any physical application
“an annual building; at the center, a tower; this tower is pierced with wide windows that open onto the inner side of the ring…divided into cells, each of which extends the whole width of the building; they have two windows, one on the inside, corresponding to the windows of the tower; the other, on the outside, allows the light to cross the cell from one to the other. All that is needed, then, is to place a supervisor in a central tower and to shut up each cell a madman, a patient, a condemned man, a worker or a schoolboy… one can observe from the tower”
Facebook is a perfect example of how willing people are to give over large amounts of personal information and subjecting themselves to panopticism. Looking at the site from a Foucoudian perspective in relation to panopticism results in some interesting points. Foucault’s theories on panopticism explain how subjects of panopticism begin to self regulate as a result of constant surveillance of the omnipresent eye and in turn omniscient eye. The majority of the power is in the owners of facebook and those looking upon the users profile hands, as Foucault states “an omnipresent and omniscient power that subdivides itself in a regular, uninterrupted way’
What is interesting is the application of Foucault’s theory that visibility offers safety but when looking at facebook and seeing that advertisements are all relevant to your searches fits with Foucault’s theory that ‘visibility is a trap’. It is only their egotistical tendencies that subject them into becoming just as docile bodies as those in the panopticon.
Also through elements like status updates, people begin to build a sense of self-awareness through analysing their social presence amongst the rest of facebook, this can be related to Foucault statement “it is not necessary to use force to constrain the convict to good behaviour”. Everyone becomes a subject of panopticism through everyone they have on the account, controlling its users the same way Foucault theorises “This surveillance system is based on a system of permanent registration”.
