Studvent, Alyssa Blog Post #5

According to Gonzaga University, Panopticism is defined as a “kind of internal surveillance [where] the watches ceases to be external to the watched”. In today’s society, panopticism has been embedded into our society in various ways such as through the advancement of surveillance technologies especially within public spaces and within the internet/web. The use of surveillance cameras, on streets, stores, homes, and workplaces through smartphones and cameras creates the sense and ability for individuals to be watched at all times causing individuals to adjust their behavior toward certain societal norms or expectations due to a fear of sticking out. According to Foucault, the main idea is the internalization of surveillance which causes individuals to regulate their behavior due to fear or possibility of being watched and judged which is similar to today’s society as individuals who make weird or abnormal claims on social media and/or in public causing their behaviors to be deemed deviant and/or inappropriate. The rise of digital surveillance including data tracking, online monitoring, and profiling reinforces the original idea of Panopticism even if it is being used in efforts to protect their citizens either from themselves or from other countries by governments, corporations, and more. All in all, the usage of panopticism in modern society through surveillance technologies underscores the subtle ways in which power operates to regulate behavior and social order.