Panoptic Practices

[Federica]

Have you been subject to any automatic and disindividualized  panoptic power recently?

[Chesca]

Yes, in a driving lesson/ test, where you are made to belive you are being watched and so you think they are watching you. Sometimes they (the examiner) are not even looking at you but you think they are because of the rules being set and what you have been told. Also because of you’re positioning in the car and what you are told, which is face forward and keep your eyes on the road. It will be a bit of a risk if you take your eyes of the road to see if you are being watched. So you have to behave and drive accordingly in order to please this examiner and pass your test. So you are automatically behaving and doing as you have been told because you think you are being watched. Even if you are not being watched you wouldnt know because your eyes are on the road.

[lady123]

I believe we are all subject to automatic, disindividualised power every day.  In this day and age, when we walk down the street, we are being watched.  I like to think of it as Big Brother to the extreme.  The number of CCTV cameras are continuously increasing and are able to trace our every step.  I am personally always aware of being watched and sometimes act in a particular manner because of it.  Clearly i have no way of knowing how many cameras there are and of course i am not naive enough to think there are people behind these cameras 24/7 however as Benthan mentioned, the whole idea is no one HAS to be watching for us to think they are.  In other words, i can't know if anyone is watching me but the fact that the possibility is there puts me on edge and therefore my mannerisms remain conservative and 'legal'!

[Karla]

I agree that we are constantly being watched. Out on the street it is only human nature to watch others as they pass by, whether we do it consciously or not. In the supermarkets and shops CCTV cameras are made very obvious to us, whether someone is monitoring these cameras is another question, but the fact they are there encourages us to act in a certain way. Even in the workplace or with friends we are being observed and may not be totally aware of it. I think this does make us behave in a certain way, i.e. we do not go around stealing, or acting violently towards other people as we know its wrong and if we are caught doing such things we will be punished. The fear of potentially being seen and caught means that most of us abide by the rules and regulations, but those who fail to do so are punished accordingly. It seems the only place where you are completely free to do what you want is in your own home without external observations and influences.

[Millie]

I found this topic really interesting, especially when you relate it to your own life. 
As I'm just about to be moved into an open plan office the Panoptic subject became relevant to my own working day.  After visiting the office to my amusment in one of the corners was an office with 90% vision in all directions for the boss, and of course it has venetian blinds!!!!
Since moving into the new office -  Benthams 'Panopticin' model has highlighted and made me more aware of the phscologigal effects it has on people including myself; the constant feeling of being monitored, people listening to your conversation, lack of privacy and the apprehension of being singled out and repremanded because of some instance or other.  For the hierarchy it is certainly a way of automising and disindiviulising power (Foucault, 1991, p202).  Being under constant survelaince gives those in control the power to compare the apptitude of the workers and monitor the workload etc it is certainly a key means to social control.  However there are some more positive effects; there are far less disruptive, work output is more productive and you are much more aware of your own self discpline.

[pwaterer]

This topic can be related to student life in that when you are in a club, you are forced to act a certain way through the fear of being seen misbehaving by the bouncers and consequently being thrown out. You must not be too drunk, you must not lift people in the air etc. You have to watch yourself just in case you are being watched.

[sweetgirl]

Well, I believe a lot of things that we do tend to be public and yes we do automatically become disindividualized panoptic power. Recently when I went to the gym and a spa I found that I was being watched for my actions and they made me feel less powered, I did not feel comfortable doing my training because I felt that was being monitored constantly. Although CCTV can make you behave in different ways for example when I know some areas don't have the speed cameras I tend to drive fast but then again I am in a fear of Police that they can also watch in their under cover cars so in both cases I am potentially being watched. Those who disobey the law will be questioned once caught.

[Blair]

Panoptican power has made me a subject of cultural constructions and discursive discourses of society through subconscious monitoring and surveillance of my own behavior; this is in response to how other individuals of my age and gender behave and in response to institutions such as the media and schooling who proliferate social norms, the norms presented provoke appropriate actions and reactions individuals 'must' conform too. This is achieved through what Foucault terms ‘normalizing judgement’. This concept involves anticipating how participants are ranked in the domains of society and the process of ‘Normalizing’, like Bentham’s ‘Panopitican’ (Mills, 2003, p.45), controls individuals in society through the means of surveillance; individuals conform as they fear being judged and excluded by others.

[mgh_88]

Through having a season ticket to a Premiership football team and going to the games I observe panoptic power on a daily basis. As I am sure most of you will know England has a very bad reputation when it comes to football related violence especially in the past where fights used to break out on a weekly basis. However now the majority of cases concerning football violence occur either low league teams (with basic stadiums) or whilst English teams are travelling abroad. The reason for this is because of the increase in CCTV present in English football stadiums in the last 20 years. When I go to a football match there are cameras on every street surrounding the stadium, once in the stadium every angle of the ground is captured by a CCTV cameras which are human operated. The cameras can zoom in on every seat in the stadium, meaning is something is thrown onto the pitch or a fight breaks out it is very easy and fast to identify the perpetrators as there is no place for them to hide. This security strategy has obviously worked as domestic football violence in England is the lowest it has ever been, it has deterred the football hooligans from behaving badly as they simply know that anything they do will be watched on camera.

[chunnu]

As a international student, the UK's Election 2010 has raised my interests on "Race Relations & Immigration" of different political parties. I realise UK's immigration policy for Permanent Residence illustrates that many people in this country are indeed subjected to automatic and disindividualised panoptic power.

In order for the applicant to be qualified for permanent residence-ship, the applicant must not leave UK for more than 18 months (540 days) within the ten-year period prior to applying for the permanent residence. The immigration laws are set strictly. In other words, applicant's freedom to travel outside UK border for more than 18 months is restricted as they cannot possibly escape from Immigration officers' inspections of their passports. If they ever fail to meet with the requirements, they will lose their eligibility to apply as a permanent resident of the UK. In that sense, the laws and immigration officers controls individuals and lessen their power (freedom in this case). Applicants are subjected to the panoptic power of the policy makers who determines their immigration status.

[katievolone]

We are constantly a victim of the panopticon power as whatever situation one is in, you are always being watched in one form or another. If you are on the street, there are multiple CCTV cameras around, and as Karla said, they may not be manned but the fact that they are there creates far and so you conform to the rules and regulations. Even if you are on your own you are some how being watched. For example, if you have a Facebook page, people are always looking at that either making sure you are sticking to the regulations or simply just seeing what you have been up to. Whatever happens in our society, you cannot really get away from a controlling gaze over you.

[Alexpecko]

i am in agreement with katievolone that 'we are constantly a victim of panopticon power'. CCTV is a part of modern life in the UK and i agree also with Karla's point.

This led me on to considering fixed speed camera's, it is a well known fact that only 1 in 4 are fully operational at any one time, yet as a motorist i make sure that i am never unwittingly exceeding the speed limit when i drive through one as i want to avoid getting 3 points on my licence and a hefty fine.

Chunnu, i also find the points you raise very interesting.

[@liveJ]

I'm also an international student and quite have same interesting points with Chunnu.

You might know UK Border control is getting harder and harder.
(Yes, you might heard 'Point System' from Labour Government.)

I believe VISA application (or extension) system would be the one of good example of Panoptic case.

Applicants write this form, which is called Tier4.
On the form, applicants should mention themselves and their family, some histories, school, courses, criminal records (??) and Etc.

In addition, you might know Tier4 Visa applicants should give their Biometric information to UK Border Control Agency. (Yes, I gave my one)

Application form is not only documents for VISA application process. It requests various documents.

As my personal experience, the hardest document for this application is 'Bank Statement'.
Why?
Deposit balance of the bank account, which is attached with application, should be fitted by UK Border Agency's guideline, which makes me fed up.

If I does not have enough budget, my Visa would be rejected. UK Border Control does not care individual situation, just decided by their guideline. So, Can I say UK Border Control has automatic, disindividualised power?

(P.S.) I met some drivers who has similar experiences as Alexpecko introduces. :)

[jbird]

I have the experience that i am constantly being watched every time i go to work. I work as a waitress and there are cameras all over the building, inside and outside. The worst time, when the panoptic power feels its strongest, is when i am alone in the restaurant, maybe tidying up at the end of the night, and my manager is in the office where the camera views are on screen. I automatically assume that they are sat in the office watching my every move on camera, although i know this is unlikely, but the fact that it is a possibility (i.e: they could if they wanted to) means i act in a completely different way to how i would if i thought i was alone with no cameras. i make sure i'm always doing something, in case they see me not doing anything, even if i have just stopped for a second.

[Timeless]

Besides CCTV's there are many other ways to track people and what they do, for example card transactions and their internet history.

One example of a panopticon/plague situation is a football ground. There are sometimes CCTV's at football grounds to monitor the fans. There are also the security that are all around the pitch. They could be described as human CCTV's as they are watching the fans and making sure they do nothing wrong. The football fans know they are being watched and by whom, however they do not know when they are being watched. 'Power of mind over mind'. The football fans generally behave themselves and know what they can and can't do once inside the grounds, therefore they are self-monitoring.

This concept can also be related to the plague as you could view the security as 'gatekeepers'. If someone does not co-operate or does something that warrants being removed from the grounds then the security will do so. They are therefore being 'exiled' in a way as they are removed from the majority who are behaving and co-operating.