Transport System Surveillance.
'This is the utopia of a perfectly governed city...' (Thomas, 2000, p.79)
'Panopticism' is a theory developed by Michel Foucault in his book 'Discipline and Punish', written in 1975. It is quite interesting to draw parallels from this theory towards today's society, as many of his ideas still apply in various situations, and in some cases extend upon these quite wildly. The theory is based on The Panopticon, an architectural plan designed by Jeremy Bentham in the late 18th Century:
The idea behind this development would be to create an institution whereby the inmates/patients/pupils etc would be positioned in their own individual containers circling around a central control post as such. This would be arranged in such a way that would make it impossible for the inmates to view the central control post clearly (most likely due to the lighting used), causing them to make the assumption that they were being watched 100% of the time; regardless of whether anybody was viewing them or not. Combined with the fact that none of the inmates can communicate with (or even view) any of their peers meant that they would become what Foucault would describe as 'Docile Bodies' and undergo a process of self-realignment, and so in other words, 'The plague is met by order' (Thomas, 2000, p.78)(referring to the control of a town/village during the times of the plague, perhaps the first incidence of this system taking place).
It is interesting to draw parallels to systems employed in today's society. Perhaps the most obvious comparison to make would be that of surveillance techniques used on metropolitan transport systems - the London Underground springs to mind almost immediately. As a semi-regular user, one of the most noticeable aspects of the system is the sheer concentration of CCTV cameras dotted around the place, combined with constant security announcements warning travellers to keep an eye on their belongings at all times. Foucault states, 'This surveillance is based on a model of permanent registration...' (Thomas, 2000, p.77), which in some ways has never been more true as when applied to this situation. The presence of large number of cameras implies a constant monitoring over the areas governed by those in charge of operating the system. Whether the entire area is in reality constantly monitored of course remains questionable, although in many ways this is not important - as long as the cameras are there, it would be safe to assume that travellers are being at all times being watched. When considering this it becomes easy to compare this to the Panoptic model discussed earlier; travellers assume they are being watched the whole time in the same way as prisoners would in the Panopticon. As a result of this, passengers (the majority of) would naturally begin behaving in such a way that they believe is correct and fashionable. Whilst on the one hand, it is true to say that this undoubtedly prevents many crimes on the Underground, it also renders the majority in a docile state, which may explain the complete lack of communication between passengers. This is in some ways the 'political dream of the plague' (Thomas, 2000, p.78), whereby passengers, whilst being in close proximity to each other are also simultaneously strictly divided.
Foucault also states that 'rulers dreamt of the state of plague' (Thomas, 2000, p.79), which demonstrates to a certain length how this method of panoptic surveillance suits a transport system such as the Underground very well. Alongside the docility achieved by CCTV, it is also incredibly economically viable, and its relative invisibility means it is met with very little resistance.
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