Introduction: 

This writing practice includes three definitions of a relatively complex term used in a particular discipline. Each definition exhibits specific qualities associated with its purpose and audience. The following document provides a parenthetical, sentence and expanded definition directed to individuals without previous knowledge of the term.

Complex Term: 

Panopticonism

Reading Situation:

The target audience of the following definitions are undergraduate arts students studying media theory. They may have some familiarity with related topics, but have never encountered the term. The students may use the definitions to expand their knowledge in the field and 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 described 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. Foucault applies this phenomenon to various aspects of society in regards to emerging technology.

Expanded Definition:

History

Michel Foucault’s concept of Panopticism is based on the work of English philosopher and social theorist Jeremy Bentham. In 1785, Bentham completed his design of a prison with the purpose of reducing the number of guards required to monitor prisoners. The prison was designed as a ring of cells with a central guard tower in the middle. Each cell is visible from the tower, but the prisoners cannot tell when a guard is or is not present, imposing a state of constant surveillance. In 1813, the first prison based on Bentham’s designs was constructed and still operates today. Michel Foucault’s book Discipline and Punishment published in 1975, comments on the design and expands the idea as a means to understand internalized authority in society.

Visuals

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

 

Required Conditions

For something to be panoptic, the subjects must be aware of their ability to be constantly observed without knowing when they are or are not being watched. If the subject is completely unaware of their potential to be viewed, this would not be considered panopticism. The required condition is that the threat of constant surveillance is imposed into the consciousness of the subject.

Example

Panopticism is a relevant topic in considering the effects of the popular use of CCTV in many cities. The knowledge of the existence of cameras potentially capturing behavior achieves a state of internalized surveillance. While in public, the mere knowledge that one may be visible imposes self-policing of actions regardless of if the subject is actually being recorded or not.  

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/.