Introduction: 

This writing practice encompasses three definitions of the complex term “Panopticonism” as used in a specific discipline. Each definition is tailored to its purpose and audience, providing parenthetical, sentence, and expanded explanations for individuals who may not have prior knowledge of the term.

Complex Term: 

Panopticonism

Reading Situation:

The target audience for these definitions are undergraduate arts students studying media theory. While they may have some familiarity with related concepts, they have not encountered the term “Panopticonism” before. The definitions aim to expand their knowledge in the field and enable them to apply the concepts to their own work.

Parenthetical Definition:

Michel Foucault’s concept of Panopticonism (a model of constant surveillance and conscious visibility) is a fundamental topic in media theory.

Sentence Definition:

Panopticonism is a concept introduced by Michel Foucault that discusses the theoretical design of a prison in which all prisoners are visible from a central watchtower, without knowing when a guard is present or not, imposing a constant state of visibility in the consciousness of the surveilled.

Expanded Definition:

History

The concept of Panopticonism is rooted in the work of English philosopher and social theorist Jeremy Bentham. In 1785, Bentham devised a design for a prison with the aim of reducing the number of guards required for prisoner surveillance. The prison featured a circular arrangement of cells with a central guard tower. Each cell was visible from the tower, but prisoners were unable to discern when a guard was or was not present, instilling a perpetual sense of surveillance. In 1813, the first prison based on Bentham’s designs was constructed and is still in operation today. Michel Foucault’s book Discipline and Punish, published in 1975, further expounds on the concept as a means of understanding internalized authority in society.

Visuals

Figure 1. A rendering of the basic design of a panoptic prison

Examples 

The concept of Panopticonism is particularly relevant in considering the impact of widespread CCTV usage in many cities. The knowledge of the existence of cameras, whether visible or not, potentially capturing one’s behavior at any given moment, induces a state of internalized surveillance. The mere awareness of being potentially visible in public spaces affects behavior, resulting in self-policing of actions, regardless of whether the individual is actually being recorded or not.

Required Conditions

For a situation to be considered panoptic, the subjects must be aware of the possibility of constant observation without knowing when they are being watched. If the subjects are completely unaware of the potential for surveillance, it would not be considered panopticism. The key condition is that the threat of constant surveillance is ingrained in the consciousness of the subjects.

Works Cited

“Internalized Authority and the Prison of the Mind: Bentham and Foucault’s Panopticon.” 13 Things, https://www.brown.edu/Departments/Joukowsky_Institute/courses/13things/7121.html#:~:text=Jeremy%20Bentham%2C%20an%20English%20philosopher,prison%20system%20called%20the%20Panopticon. 

McMullan, Thomas. “What Does the Panopticon Mean in the Age of Digital Surveillance?” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 23 July 2015, https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jul/23/panopticon-digital-surveillance-jeremy-bentham. 

Singh, Barun. “The Panopticon Called Leadership.” Thrive Global, 30 Aug. 2020, https://community.thriveglobal.com/the-panopticon-called-leadership/.