Panopticism around me!?

One way in which panopticism has been embedded into society is through the use of cameras at street lights and on streets in school zones. Through the use of cameras, surveillance is being conducted 24/7. Although the cameras are on 24/7, someone is not always watching those cameras to make sure the people of society are obeying the traffic laws. This creates a feeling of constantly being watched although there may not be someone actively watching the cameras. With this influence of panoptiscism, individuals abide by the societal expectations that everyone must follow the rules or suffer the consequences.

To add on, this form of panopticism has been heavily engrained into society. For example, when a street light goes red it is common practice, due to laws and surveillance, to stop at that light at wait for it to turn green. It is frowned upon and also dangerous to disobey those laws. Although panopticism is seen at play in this example, people of society still go against the societal norms. It has been seen when people disregard the cameras, and go when they feel like it at the street lights. It is also seen how people speed in school zones although there are multiple warnings that photos are enforced.

However, due to panopticism being effective. Those who are caught going against the rules of society are penalized. This serves as a reinforcement that the system set up is effective. It is almost like a lottery system when one would be caught not obeying the rules, and when that happens there is a reminder that constant surveillance is occurring. By this, members of society will be more likely to obey the rules and regulations 24/7. This is due to the uncertainty of when one would be caught doing a bad act.

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