blog post #3

Gillian White
10/24/17
Blog post #3


A concept that really stood out to me in lecture and in the chapter 11 reading was the pressure of surveillance and how we behave when we perceive that we are being watched. The concept of a panopticon really intrigued me into how we behave when we are watched or think we are under constant supervision. A panopticon is a type of prison that is circular in shape and has no doors to the cells. In the middle of said prison is a tower with limited windows were the guards are, supposedly watching the prisoners around the clock. With the prisoners assuming they are under constant watch and are vulnerable to any consequences they behave accordingly. This concept is important for us to recognize because it allows us to open our eyes and be aware of the surveillance that may or may not be on us.
An example of an everyday panopticon is technology has more access than we think. It is said that technology tracks our moves and can potentially be listening into our conversations. A big notion is that our computer's camera can be in use even when we believe the camera is off. Now that this concept is becoming a well known thing, people have been putting stickers over their cameras when it is not in use, just to be safe. In this day in age technology has so much access and surveillance that we must be aware of the potential threats and behave accordingly so we don't get in trouble from a greater force.
This topic is very important for us to learn and study because without this information we can keep living day to day making mistakes and not realize that there may be someone watching us and ready to proceed with consequences. If we turn a blind eye we may end up in a sticky situation and be in a virtual panopticon.