Lect 2 - Surveillance Theory

Question 0

What is The Panopticon? How did it arise?

Answer 0

• The panopticon is a form of psychological punishment thought of by Michel Foucault
• criminals were retained and taught what they did wrong
• The panopticon itself is inmates in visible cells surrounding a guard tower
• the inmates were in cells that could be viewed easily by the people monitoring them in the guard tower, however the inmates could not see inside of the guard tower
• the person in the guard tower will take noted on the behaviour of every inmate in a cell and monitor what they do
• the prisoners do not know when and if the person is watching from the tower but they do know that they can be surveilled at anytime so they behave with the discipline that they were taught at all times
• There is no way the criminals could challenge the authority

Question 1

What is the issue about CCTV cameras and the book “1984” By George Orwell

Answer 1

The book talks about the government officials (in the book referred to as the thought police) usage of cameras and microphones as a form of surveillance upon people who break the law or dissent. Some people believe that our world today is slowly becoming the book through CCTV cameras as a big step

Question 2

What are the modern day panopticons?

Answer 2

Modern day panopticons can include: schools, churches, prisons, asylums, and hospitals

Question 3

What happens as a result of surveillance as a form of discipline?

Answer 3

people tend to find out wrong vs. right on their own and ultimately form into docile bodies (obedient to a set of rules that are considered acceptable in society)

Question 4

What is Thomas Matheisen’s idea of the Viewer Society Theory and what is a synopticon?

Answer 4

Thomas Matheisen came up with the thought that along side panoptic institutions existing today, we also have synoptic interactions as well

• synopticism is matheisens idea that rather than having a small amount of people monitor a large amount people, we also have large amounts of people monitoring small amounts
• he believed that we are in a viewer society today and it is defined by the melding of panoptic snd synoptic surveillance

Question 5

What is the reading of Thomas Matheisen’s idea of the viewer society called?

Answer 5

Its called “The Viewer Society” By Thomas Matheisen

Question 6

What are some examples of modern day synopticons?

Answer 6

A good example is mass media

• mass media is a large amount of people who’s attention is drawn to monitoring the actions of a small group of people
• News sources have a lot of power because they tell you about the world and are a big influence to society
• The internet is also an example because it allows us to watch massive amounts of content while few internet companies gather the data

Question 7

What are the implications of power within the Viewer society theory?

Answer 7

That the media the prominent knowledge producer in a viewer society

Question 8

What is a surveillance Assemblage? Who were the sociologists behind this theory?

Answer 8

• A theory by Kevin Haggerty and Richard Ericson
• The gathering of multiple sources of one’s life through data analysis and data bases, separating them into discrete flows and assembling them into “data doubles”

Question 9

What are some examples of a surveillance assemblage?

Answer 9

Taking records of someone from hospitals, credit card transactions, school records…etc and putting them together to create a computer version of a person

Question 10

What is a “data double”?

Answer 10

a data double is a virtual version of someone in the physical world that is made through tracking and collecting data from their life from various data sources and data bases

Question 11

What is Dataveillance?

Answer 11

the surveillance and collection of data on a person throughout their lives

Question 12

What is a Rhizomatic process? what is an example?

Answer 12

Rhizomatic process is the collection of data from dataveillance that forms into a tree of data that branches from you. For example:

your DNA data sets —–> finger printing databases —–> hospital records —-> credit card transactions —-> YOU.

Question 14

What is a dramaturgical society?

Answer 14

its a way of analyzing social action and people’s explanation of their actions through dramatism

Question 15

What was Erving Goffman’s view on the presentation of self through Dramaturgical societies?

Answer 15

He believes that humans are all actors on a stage and that everyone acts differently depending on the setting and surroundings (acting)
- everyone is a mix of social roles

Question 17

What are the characteristics of surveillance assemblage?

Answer 17

the characteristics of a surveillance assemblage is that:

• it includes dataveillance (the monitoring and surveillance of data on a person) and the formation of a data double (you but in data form)
• It involves a rhizomatic process
• Its non-hierarchical (which means that everyone is subject to it)