Panopticism in Social Networking

No one exercises the function of power on social networking websites but ourselves, but we make our own choice to give out our personal information, which creates an automatic function of power for the observer, this could be anyone. Anyone can use this power to solve crime cases or to look for an old friend or lost relatives, but the power can also be abused for fraud and public safety.

In my essay I want to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of Panopticism on social networking websites.

The common features of Panopticism or elements of observation are the use of cameras and surveillance. Michael Foucault quotes “This surveillance is based on a system of permanent registration.” Foucault, M (1977) Discipline and Punish. I believe that it has only been recently when social networking has become a part of modern life and since then; permanent registration has evolved from a physical aspect for example cameras and other surveillance equipment to a virtual aspect. Panopticism is now integrated with internet communications and you could almost say that we are living in a virtual panopticon. “He is seen, but he does not see; he is the object of information, never a subject in communication” Foucault, M (1977) Discipline and Punish. London, Penguin. This still applies to the public but in a subtle way, I don’t think people realise that we are not free; Foucault said “Visibility is a trap” and it still is to this very day.

It is debatable that being observed on social networking sites is good for our safety and good for solving crimes. “The penetration of regulation into even the smallest details of everyday life through the mediation of the complete hierarchy that assured the capillary functioning of power” I understand that the sovereign body needs to be in power so that crimes are minimized and public safety is reassured but the question needs to be asked; how much is for our safety and how much is an invasion of privacy? Where do we draw the line? A report explains how police are searching Facebook for pictures of people posing with weapons, mainly knives. People who posed with weapons in public were breaking the law and were arrested, whereas those who posed at home were spoken to by officers. An officer said “there was no privacy issue as the teenagers involved were posting photographs in public places, and recovering pictures from the internet was no different to the police making use of CCTV footage to solve crimes” Cramb, A, (2009) Police scour Facebook and Bebo for criminals, (28/03/11) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/facebook/4359151/Police-scour-Facebook-and-Bebo-for-criminals.html I can see that sovereignty knows when to not cross the line of someone’s privacy, b ut people who have uploaded the photos made their own choice by removing the privacy settings. When people know that there is a presence of surveillance, it makes people self regulate and keep a low profile which does help prevent crimes or any illegal activity. I think that the majority of people who use social networking sites don’t know that they are being observed which doesn’t make them self regulate and there is no sense of paranoia which enables potential criminals to reveal their true profile, activities and plots. Although crime and terrorism can be organised and committed on the internet, with the use of observers or the use of observing, it can help prevent and counter crime and terrorism.

I believe that security has evolved from just camera surveillance to surveillance in internet communications because of 9/11, it was crucial for the government to start funding in homeland security for the protection of citizens and the country. “Governments exercise power over the individual by collecting data about her are probably far more politically useful than the questions raised in the present essay.” Winokur, M, (2003) The Ambiguous Panopticon, http://www.ctheory.net/articles.aspx?id=371 (30/03/11) I would say that we have no choice but to be observed due to the fact that protection is one of the highest priorities. The technology to this day has evolved into x-ray and 3D perspective viewing so that there is literally no escape from the camera. “Abilities akin to X-ray like "God's Eye View" super-sight.” “Our system enables an agent to effectively have eyes and ears in hundreds if not thou­sands of places at the same time.” Panoptic Systems Inc, Los Angeles http://panopticsystems.com/executive-summary.html (30/03/11) This is almost like technology mimicking the power of god, religion is also a panoptic system with an automatic function of power and permanent registration where as the technology is a more of a forced solution for control and power. I would describe this technology as a futuristic panopticon, having evolved from architecture to several cameras to just a single device or monitor that can observe a large area. This could be bad because it can fall into the wrong hands of people who want to observe for personal reasons instead of the protection of citizens. The device for observing on social networks is the internet itself so anyone can use it and it can also be used by the wrong hands.

“Perversity of those who take pleasure in spying and punishing” Foucault, M (1977) Discipline and Punish. London, Penguin. I think that it is natural to have a check someone up, whether it’s a friend or family which doesn’t exactly mean spying but there have also been incidents of social network stalkers. I believe that the people are on friend’s lists for a reason, knowing the identity of an observer doesn’t make them a stalker or threat because they have been given the authorisation. An anonymous observer would be classed as spying and an invasion of privacy. In my opinion, one’s privacy is only invaded if being observed on things that are meant to be private and not publicly. This creates a question... Is social networking private or public? "He who is subjected to a field of visibility, and who knows it, assumes responsibility for the constraints of power; he makes them play spontaneously upon himself; he inscribes in himself the power relation in which he simultaneously plays both roles; he becomes the principle of his own subjection” Foucault, M (1977) Discipline and Punish. London, Penguin. I think that Foucault’s idea is more of a rule, he states that it is our fault and decision to apply ourselves to visibility and that we are punishing ourselves. I think this applies very well to social networking because people have a choice to make their profile private and also have a choice to publish or not publish photos and videos but in the other hand, some third party companies retrieve our emails to steal identity, for fraud and to spam without our consent, thus breaking the rules of our privacy.

Through my investigation, I have realised that ‘Visibility is trap’ in social networking only if you allow it to be. Many people allow their privacy to be invaded by publishing their personal information and not hiding it. People don’t know when their privacy is in danger and there hasn’t been any technology that can reveal observers, all we know is that our personal information could be held in the wrong hands. As far as crime and terrorism, I think that it is right for the government and sovereign body to have power to authorize personal information and activity to seek potential criminals and threats because it is for the good. But we still live in a prison like society and will be for a long while.

Cramb, A, (2009) Police scour Facebook and Bebo for criminals, (28/03/11) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/facebook/4359151/Police-scour-Facebook-and-Bebo-for-criminals.html

Winokur, M, (2003) The Ambiguous Panopticon, http://www.ctheory.net/articles.aspx?id=371 (30/03/11)

Foucault, M (1977) Discipline and Punish. London, Penguin

Panoptic Systems Inc, Los Angeles http://panopticsystems.com/executive-summary.html (30/03/11)

Task 5

The First Things First manifesto was a magazine that was launched in 1999; it was a discussion about the rejection of commercial and advertising for companies that are unacceptable for example, cigarette and arms companies. It creates a debate for designers that purely have an ambition to change the world through design without the thought of being rich, almost like a hobby and there are others who design to live and like to earn money. “The profession's time and energy is used up manufacturing demand for things that are inessential at best.” First Things First manifesto (1964) These people are producing the wrong type of communication to the world; this is the result of mass consumerist society that we all live in.

The manifesto was first written in 1964, the intentions were to make designers around the world step forward to use their skills in a more positive way. The manifesto was also signed by 33 figures from the international graphic design community “we propose to share our experience and opinions and to make them available to colleagues, students and others who may be interested.” First Things First manifesto (2000) this was to encourage more designers to support the discussion.

I think that it is hard to transform a designer to work in a positive way because at this day, the recession is affecting the scarce availability of jobs. Designers who depend on their design skills for a living are more likely to take up any briefs, even if their work is used in a negative way. It is also the designer’s moral decision to determine what type of work he or she wants to carry out or reject. I don’t think the manifesto could change the global population of designers to work in a positive way, everyone has their reasons.

Task 3

Panopticism on Social Networking

- Privacy

- Technology

- Protection & Terrorism

- Sovereignty

The Gaze, Foucault’s Discipline and Punish book, Internet articles, News

Task 6

How is sustainability defined in the text?

The idea of sustainability is defined as ecological problems such as climate change, natural resource depletion and global warming. It has social, environmental, economic, moral and political values within society. It has become an individual’s role to change to an ‘eco’ lifestyle to sustain the natural environment and maintain humanity. Sustainability is now used by businesses as a marketing strategy, only to gain profit and capitalize and less of sustaining. New environmental technologies has created a crisis for some of the population who can’t afford to become sustainable, as a result, it has caused social inequality.

What are the main characteristics or tendencies of Capitalism?

Eric Balser describes capitalism as “a diverse web that is continuously expanding and trapping things” Capitalism is constantly growing and expanding by creating and subsuming markets. New ideas and solutions are commodified for the means of production; the initial idea for capitalism is to make people better off and to boost the economy. However, surplus value is caused by the expansion of capitalism which is also known as overaccumalation; another crisis that causes social inequality and instability.

Define a 'crisis of Capitalism'. Offer an example

The crisis of capitalism is defined as a systematic cycle of accumulation, when capitalism reaches its limit, it reinvents itself through new technologies and ideas so that businesses survive, better ideas and technologies are saved for another day until old markets are fully consumed; this acts as a safety net and continues the cycle of capitalization. Its aim is to extinguish the ecological problems but the realization of crisis creates another idea and reinforces capitalization and the cycle is again recreated.

What solutions have been offered to the sustainability question? Are these successful or realistic? - If not why are they flawed?

There are four rules that businesses need to follow to become environmentally responsible:

-Radically increase the productivity of resource use

-Shift to biologically inspired production with closed loops, no waste, and no toxicity

-Shift the business model away from making and selling of “things” to providing the service that the “thing” delivers

-Reinvest in natural and human capital

These rules are not successful because it only focuses on creating and investing on something new for the market, it doesn’t end the cycle of accumulation and continues to capitalize.

Bio-diesel is an example of a solution to sustainability; it is described as ‘clean’ fuel made from vegetable and animal residue. The plant is located in Canada in Hamilton and has a negative impact on the local community and surrounding environment. Although bio-diesel is ecological and taking part in sustaining the environment, the solution has become a contradiction because the location of the plant is built on community green space and is a few hundred feet from homes which has caused great health risk and life threatening disruption to residents in the area. It has become an individual’s decision and not a communal decision to sustaining the environment and it has come to the point where the poor are sacrificed for the needs of sustainability or even for financial and capital growth. It has certainly divided people into class; the wealthy are able to become sustainable whilst the poor have no choice but to suffer.

Is the concept of sustainability compatible with Capitalism?

The cause of sustainability is capitalism in the first place, the two concepts are definitely not compatible because the realization of the economic problems becomes a target market for businesses to consume, the initial idea is sustain but businesses take advantage of the concept to generate profit, expand and survive. World power relations have already taken in consideration of the environmental crisis but businesses mostly override the situation and manipulate the key aim of sustainability. I think that the cycle of capitalism will be ongoing until the earth’s natural resources become depleted or if natural disasters become majorly catastrophic; businesses, governments and the whole world will have no choice but to work together to sustain not only the environment but ultimately, humanity.

Task 2

Adorno explains about the history of music dating back to its origin and comparing music at the present day. He describes the two spheres of music as musical and social, the elements of seriousness and popularity. Standardization is a structural form and a way to break down the characteristics of popular music, popular songs have a structured chorus which consists of thirty two bars and the range is limited to one octave and one note. Rules are applied to pop music (standardized) which creates all types of music under the same category which makes music the same, it works without questioning. The form of popular music is unchanged but you don’t recognise it because content in music is always different.

An example of a structure for music is divided into different techniques such as ‘plugging’, the repetitive ongoing beat throughout a song makes it successful, Adorno says “It leads the listener to become enraptured with the inescapable. And thus it leads to the institutionalization and standardization of listening habits themselves.” Listeners become so use to listening to plugging in music that it makes listeners automatically recognise its music.

Adorno says that “Standardization of song hits keeps the customers in line by doing their listening for them, as it were.” Pseudo-individualization connects with musical standardization and makes listeners think that they are choosing and listening to music through the freedom of choice but they are given the material without any thought. This is why popular culture takes a big part in pop music; TV, magazines and celebrity could enhance music, even if it has nothing to do with the content in songs. Celebrity status and iconic characters are ways of manipulating and marketing products and music. X-Factor, Britain’s got talent and other forms of reality TV are perfect example to relate to pop culture, pop stars like Cheryl Cole was a contestant in X-Factor and is now a judge in the same TV show, she has evolved from just a civilian to a celebrity and TV has helped reinforce her national or even international celebrity status. Her name and iconic figure now implies in beauty adverts, music and magazines, all from pop culture.

People who listen and buy music from a pop genre don’t even have to listen to the music to know its good because of the relationship of pop culture in the music; it is already defined as good music.

In the other hand serious music for example Beethoven’s renowned status is not supported through TV but purely through his classical music genius, his songs are contain content and not character which creates the expressive quality, the listener needs to put the effort in listening to the music decide if he or she likes it or not.

Task 1

Panopticism is in religion and has been a panoptic system since the start of mankind. ‘’Permanent visibility that assures the automatic function of power”. London, Penguin. People believe that God is always watching you, living, working and all aspects of daily life. The automatic function of power makes people “self regulate” become “docile bodies”, in terms of religion, people would be good, not to murder or steal and to make the right moral decisions. Since everyone or majority knows that there’s a God, this creates a “System of permanent registration” because you can’t get rid of him or avoid being observed by him, almost like being in prison but in a fixed confined space. “He is seen, but he does not see; he is the object of information, never subject of communication” being observed but not knowing when or who is observing you creates the automatic function of power (the observer), which allows them to control the observed (subject) causing paranoia and self regulation. This function also applies to surveillance cameras, sovereign body, social networking, and prisons and anywhere that is in the urban public... in fact, we are all observed because of the use of satellite technology.

In today’s society I believe that the panoptic system in religion is being replaced by technology. Surveillance presence is replacing God’s presence.

Quotes from Foucault, M (1977) Discipline and Punish