Surveillance

Question 1

Examples of surveillance in society

Answer 1

• CCTV
• Biometric scanning
• Automatic number-plate scanners for cars
• Electronic tagging

Question 2

Foucault: Panopticon

Answer 2

• Circular prison structure with a watch tower in the middle
• Prisoners do not know whether they are being surveilled or not
• Leads to self-surveillance where prisoners look after their own actions out of fear of being caught
• Sousveillance: surveillance by other people

Question 3

Foucault: Disciplinary power

Answer 3

The power held by those with authority allows them to govern not just the actions of the body, but also the actions of the mind and the soul

Question 4

Foucault: Dispersal of discipline & technologies of power

Answer 4

• ”Prison islands” have started to appear outside the prison setting through teachers, social workers (etc.) which has meant that disciplinary power is becoming dispersed amongst the social institutions in society and is becoming normalised and accepted by the public

Question 5

Foucault: Eval

Answer 5

:) Electronic Panopticon: form of sousveillance through citizen journalism, everyone watches everyone so no one knows who to trust, surveillance their own actions since they do not want to be recorded and ridiculed online
:( Exaggerates the extent of control: there are always people who deviate
:( Assumes expression disappears