Visibility Is a Trap - Essay Example

Visibility is a trap". Discuss Foucault's (Michelle Foucault) statement using examples from the modern urban environment to consider how cultures of surveillance are created in everyday life. This essay seeks to explore Michelle Foucault’s statement “visibility is a trap.” The essay will focus on examples from the modern urban environment to explore the creation of cultures of surveillance in everyday life. More specifically, the essay will focus on cultures of surveillance such as Facebook and CCTV in London. In the discussion, the essay will present the arguments of Foucault on how cultures of surveillance are created and their effect on everyday life. The cultures of surveillance have become common since the invention of the mobile phone. In the recent past, government institutions and employers have employed the use of electronic surveillance devices as a way of obtaining information. Some of these devices include video surveillance, spying, computer monitoring, wiretapping as well as investigators. The government and employers justify their use of surveillance as a way of preventing fraud and theft, enhancing employee integrity, and monitor the movement of service users. O’Farrell (2005, p. 128) observes that, in the study of panopticism by Foucault, there is a discussion of the phenomenon known as “visibility is a trap.” To Foucault, the surveillance that characterizes panoptic prisons can be regarded as both modern and clinical. According to Foucault, the earliest eras of civilization featured extremely violent as well as brutal methods used for punishment. During those times, the main forms of violence included savage beatings, hanging, quartering, as well as the use of torture devices. However, with the advent of modernity, such modes of punishment became less common due to more modern forms of surveillance (O’Farrell, 2005). The setting up of the panoptic prison allows the guards to have the ability to overlook prisoners. The cells are set up in such a way that they can be regarded as individualized and visible from the tower so as to prevent any possibility of uprisings, riots, as well as the mixing of the inmates. Foucault describes how the cells have been designed to provide clarity, order, discipline and segregation. A supervisor on top of a tower that has windows with panels monitors the inmates, without the knowledge of the inmates. While the supervisor is locked in the tower, the prisoners stay in places where the supervisor can be able to see them (O’Farrell 2005, p. 130). In analyzing the argument of Foucault, the power of the supervisor is established through the way he watched over the inmates and visibility becomes the trap. In the modern world of surveillance, the statement of Foucault represents the way cultures of surveillance affect the decisions as well as behavior of persons. Since the person monitored (the inmate) cannot determine when the supervisor watches them, they may change their behavior in a manner that may not be likely to induce punishment. Visibility can be regarded as a trap; when a person gets the idea that they are being watched, the person’s behavior changes even if they may not have the awareness that they are being watched. Therefore, the cultures of surveillance have introduced the use of psychological devices to monitor and control inmates as compared to the use of physical force. As a result of panoptic power, the inmates ultimately become prisoners to their own mind (O’Farrell 2005, p. 131). Borrowing from Foucault’s statement, the culture of surveillance is widely practiced and applied in the modern world. Surveillance has become a form of imprisonment that can be regarded as humane and portrays significant concern for the person under surveillance. The popular and widespread use of surveillance has gained prominence because it is efficient and requires less people to manage (O’Farrell 2005, p. 132). For example, in the use of CCTV surveillance, only one person monitors the operations of the cameras. This makes the practice to be more economical than the traditional practices where many guards had to be deployed. Panoptic power has extended its use to include other institutions such as schools and the workplace. For example, schools institute cameras to look over the activities of the students. Similarly, employers monitor the activities carried out by employees in organizations through the use of CCTV cameras. The creation of cultures of surveillance has played an essential role in preventing those under surveillance from misbehaving (Monahan, 2010). Consequently, this makes them avoid any form of punishment that may emanate from their wrongful deeds. Foucault uses the idea of panoptic power to represent how punishment and discipline in the modern society work. For example, the use of CCTV in London plays an essential role in enhancing security in the city. Shopping malls and business premises have instituted the use cameras to monitor the movement of shoppers and customers. This prevents any form of theft that the customers or employees of such organizations might carry out. The sophistication of modern societies creates notable opportunities for observation as well as control (Monahan 2010, p. 4). To Foucault, the modern society is grounded on the fact that all persons have the freedom and can make some demands, which the state should fulfill. Foucault argues that the mechanisms that accompany the cultures of surveillance can only be understood based on the mechanisms that accompany the control of citizens. Almost all sectors of the society have embraced cultures of surveillance; for example, prisons, hospitals, factories, and schools examine prisoners, patients, workers and students in order for them to conform to the laid down norms. The cultures of surveillance in the modern society have extended to the social media platforms such as Facebook, Google, My space, and twitter. For example, through Facebook, individuals have had the opportunity to monitor their friends, strangers, as well as acquaintances. Not only has technology improved the capacity of the government to collect and process information, but it has also enhanced people’s ability to follow the behavior. Through the use of online platforms, personal information can be tracked down in new and modern ways (Stephen 2011, p. 10). Despite the fact that surveillance plays an essential role in enhancing security, ethical issues have emerged on the violations associated with surveillance. This stems from the fact that surveillance interferes with the privacy of individuals. However, the basis of a society of surveillance can be traced to the information that people give out voluntarily, for example interactions and transactions with government, corporations, and peers. The press, politicians, and policy makers view the use of CCTV as effective and encourage criminologists to use surveillance (Monahan 2010, p. 5). On the other hand, professionals who concentrate on civil liberties criticize surveillance because of the danger it causes. Critics perceive surveillance as the trade-off between the civil liberties of individuals and control of crimes (Stephen 2011, p. 44). Traditionally, governments had limited resources and could not manage to survey the entire population at once. As such, there was heavy reliance on watching with an aim of controlling the population. With the advent of modern technology, it has become possible to observe many people at once and no one can observe the one who observes them. The cultures of surveillance have enhanced efficiency in observing the behavior of the masses. This is unlike the traditional ways of surveillance and observing that needed the presence of the person observing (Stephen 2011, p. 47). The United Kingdom can be regarded as the nation, which has embraced the use of CCTV surveillance more than any other nation in the world. There are around 4.2 million CCTV cameras spread all over Great Britain. The cameras monitor and record the actions and behavior of people who pass in front of them (Stephen 2011, p. 53). For example, the cameras monitor the movements of people who may spend time or linger outside jewelry shops, or people whose movements can be regarded as suspicious. Moreover, some cameras focus on facial recognition of persons who may be viewed as criminals or suspects who may be planning to conduct acts of theft. The culture of surveillance also encompasses the use of such technologies as wiretapping, which aim at collection of information rather than surveillance. The United States has been in the frontline as the leading country in terms of listening to conversations. As early as 1861, the United States government adopted the technology of tapping communications. This was from the approval by President Lincoln for the interception of telegraphs during the American Civil War. The United States has spearheaded the interception of communication for a considerable period. For example, following the September 11 attacks in 2001, the government improved its monitoring of voice and electronic communications to enhance the war on terror. The FISA Amendments act of 2008 allowed the United States government to interrupt any electronic communications within the United States (Monahan 2010, p. 5) Conclusion While concluding this study, it is worth noting that the argument by Foucault that visibility is a trap applies in the modern world of surveillance. The world of today has embraced the use of cultures of surveillance in almost all fields. For example, schools, hospitals, prisons, and business premises employ surveillance as a monitoring tool. Surveillance has faced criticism based on the fact that it interferes with people’s privacy and infringes their rights. Social platforms such as Facebook, Google, MySpace, and twitter have enabled people to access personal information of others. References List Monahan, T. (2010). Surveillance in the Time of Insecurity, New Jersey, Rutgers University Press. pp. 4-6. O’Farrell, C. (2005). Michel Foucault, London, Sage. pp. 127-140. Stephen, G. N. (2011). Our surveillance culture, Student Prize Papers 64. pp. 1-68. Read More