Write a short, 300 word analysis of something in contemporary society that we believe is panoptic. Use terminology referenced in the lecture and seminar and 5 quotes from Foucault's writing. Seamlessly integrate these quotes and fragmented sentences into the analysis.
The panopticon (Jeremy Bentham, 1791) is the 'diagram of a mechanism of power reduced to its ideal form'. Our actions are controlled through self-discipline as a result of our ever-growing panoptic society. We are subject to surveillance which, for the most part, is unbeknownst to us but this pre-existing self-monitorisation controls how we act in society and forces us to consider our actions in comparison to how we believe society wants us to act.
Control and surveillance are in all aspects of our daily life, one of which being supermarkets. There are numerous finite details which stores use to control and influence the way we buy and ultimately act in-store; cynical promotions, architectural details and pricing strategies all combine to form a sense of panoptic control. We conform to the supermarkets environment; the rigid structure and the 90 degree angles of aisles almost force us to to follow a specific route whilst tills, positioned at the entrance of the store, are in direct viewpoint of all customers.
We are constantly reminded we are being surveyed albeit our only indication are the CCTV cameras, hidden by translucent domes; this invisibility is 'a guarantee of order' and as a result induces a 'state of conscious and permanent visibility'.
Foucault states that through this sense of modern discipline, we come 'docile bodies' that are self-monitoring and obedient. Similarly to the Panopticon, where prisoners were looked upon by a central observation tower without the need of constant surveillance, our daily routine is governed by an ideology which is pre-installed within us and therefore we act in the way we believe we should act without us even realising.
