Essay On Panopticism

1176 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Ethical issues with Facebook privacy

Welcome to Facebook. Make yourself comfortable as with each status, piece of information, and picture, you are slowly, but surely, more and more under the power of others. Why, you might ask? Isn’t Facebook just a great, flexible, free blog that one can use to create a virtual identity and keep up with everyone? Well, remember how they say that knowledge is power? Exactly. Everyday, you and your friends give Facebook the power to know your likes and dislikes, where you are from, colleges attended, pictures with you at every stage, and even where you are right now. Think about the new Timeline design: you have provided Facebook with all the information needed to map out your own life from birth to where you are now. Let’s take a look at Michel Foucault’s insights on Panopticism and you might think twice about who really has the power on this social network and if you are a Facebook user, or being used…
He who is subjected to a field of visibility, and who knows it, assumes responsibility for the constraints of power; he makes them play spontaneously upon himself; he inscribes in himself the power of relation in which he …show more content…

Even the fact that you put seemingly basic facts about you, such as the fact that you like a certain career, will influence how Facebook will show up for you. Ever wonder how you see ads on Facebook that have to do exactly with the things you have stated you liked on Facebook? That’s why. Facebook knows what you like and it uses that towards luring you into buying things or clicking on certain websites. Facebook is a mirror of yourself, a mirror that has always been highly priced because we value privacy and security more than anything, especially in the American culture. Alas, this valuable asset is lost in seconds, on any day and at any time, at the fingertips of external

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of It Is Not About You. It's About Us By Wortham

    682 Words  | 2 Pages

    She recalls a disagreement that took place on Facebook between her and a close friend over a few comments placed on her timeline. Wortham describes how she felt embarrassed over the pointless argument. She discloses “I’m the first one to confess my undying love of the Web’s rich culture and community, which is deeply embedded in my life. But that feud with a friend forced me to consider that the lens of the Web might be warping my perspective and damaging some important relationships” (171). Introducing her personal feelings and perspective of how she feels Facebook is taking over her own emotional response online weakens her argument. Wortham reasons that others feel the same as she does. She says, “This has alarmed some people, convincing them that it’s time to pull the plug and forgo the service altogether” (171). Wortham does not bring in other testimonies of those who feel the same as she does, therefore the readers are only introduced to her personal

    Read More

  • Paradoxes of Power in Sociological Insight by Randall Collins

    857 Words  | 2 Pages

    establishes some valid points concerning power. He posits that power is something of a self-

    Read More

  • Summary Of Jeffrey Rosen The Web Means The End Of Forgetting

    1148 Words  | 3 Pages

    For example, Rosen states, “According to a recent survey by Microsoft, seventy percent of U.S. recruiters report that they have rejected candidates because of information found online,” (Rosen, Para. 3). Most of the time it is a necessity for companies to do online and background research on candidates because of wanting a safe environment to work in. Social media sites are the fastest way to see who a person truly is. But sometimes it can just be a character they posses because that’s what they’re followers want to see rather than their true self. Jokes can be made and other people do not see it that way which leads to your workplace seeing it and thinking that you’re a bad and trouble person. Rosen’s article informs his readers that you don’t want to be that person where one little thing you did on social media defines your whole life and you’re known for it. The new privacy on Facebook made certain parts of a user’s profile public which caused many criticism from users. Rosen also credits four democratic senators, Charles Schumer of New York, Michael Bennet of Colorado, Al Franken of Minnesota, and Mark Begich of Alaska. The four democratic senators were also concerned about the privacy changes Facebook made. They expressed their concern of “instant personalization” feature and new privacy settings to the chief executive of

    Read More

  • Michel Foucault's "Panopticism"

    937 Words  | 2 Pages

    Michel Foucault's "Panopticism" is based on the architectural concept of the panopticon. Foucault extended this concept to create a new sort of authority and disciplinary principle. His idea was that of the anonymous watchers hold in and has the power to influence the ones being watched. This concept is two fold – it is subject to the person being watched not being able to know when they are being watched and to the rules of society places on individuals on how they should act in a given situation. This idea can be applied to every day life, like how we set up testing rooms for students or when reading literary works such as Dracula by Bram Stoker. In Dracula, there are power differentials caused by a character or characters "seeing" what others do not and caused by societal constructions.

    Read More

  • Legitimacy in The Apology and Oedipus the King

    897 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...conveys how authority and the ability to obey its power can enable the characters rise above internal and external forces.

    Read More

  • Michel Foucault’s Essay, Panopticism”,Panopticon and the Society

    945 Words  | 2 Pages

    Michel Foucault’s essay, “Panopticism”, links to the idea of “policing yourself” or many call it panopticon. The panopticon is a prison which is shaped like a circle with a watchtower in the middle. The main purpose of the panopticon was to monitor a large group of prisoners with only few guards in the key spot. From that key spot, whatever the prisoners do they can be monitored, and they would be constantly watched from the key spot inside the tower. The arrangement of panopticon is done in excellent manner that the tower’s wide windows, which opened to the outside and kept every cell in 360-degree view. The cells were designed so it makes impossible for the prisoners to glances towards the center. In short, none of the prisoners were able to see into the tower. The arrangement of cells guaranteed that the prisoner would be under constant surveillance. This is the beauty of the panopticon that anyone can glance at the cells from the tower but no prisoners can see the tower. The prisoners may feel like someone is watching, and know the he or she is powerless to escape its watch, but the same time, the guard in the tower may not be looking at the prisoners. Just because the prisoners think that someone is watching them, they will behave properly.

    Read More

  • Critical Discourse Analysis Curriculum

    5766 Words  | 12 Pages

    may recognize our subjectivity to certain forms of power and control, as well as ways in which

    Read More

  • Comparing Foucault's 'Truth And Juridical Forms'

    2238 Words  | 5 Pages

    They are not only its inert or consenting target; they are always also the elements of its articulation” (Foucault, “Two Lectures” 34). Power may take various forms, all of which are employed and exercised by individualsand unto individuals in the institutions of society. In all institutions, there is political and judicial power, as certain individuals claim the right to give orders, establish rules, and so forth as well as the right to punish and award. For example, in school, the professor not only teaches, but also dictates, evaluates, as well as punishes and rewards.

    Read More

  • Philosophy of Classroom Discipline

    749 Words  | 2 Pages

    “Power is exercised only over free subjects, and only insofar as they are free. By this we mean individual or collective subjects who are faced with a field of possibilities in which several ways of behaving, several reactions and diverse compartments may be realized.” (Foucault)

    Read More

  • Privacy Issues and Facebook

    1275 Words  | 3 Pages

    With more than 500 million active users, the site is a warehouse of personal information. Personal profiles allow users to provide information about their name, age, hometown, relationship status, activities, job, school, and more. They can connect with the others’ profiles and become ”friends”. Combined with a profile picture, you can pretty much learn anything you want to know about somebody over Facebook (should they choose to provide the information). However, what many users fail to realize is that in most cases this information is not only available to their “friends”. Though users can change their privacy settings to limit with whom their profile information is shared, the site gathers and stores more than most of us want to acknowledge. For instance, the Facebook “Like” butto...

    Read More

  • Facebook: A Modern Privacy Invasion

    1221 Words  | 3 Pages

    The 21st century has brought a lot of modern ideas, innovations, and technology. One of these is social media. The invention of Facebook has completely changed the way we communicate with one another. Instant messaging, photo sharing, and joining online groups have created a way for families and friends to connect. Some argue that Facebook is the greatest invention however, while it is seemingly harmless, Facebook has created an invasion of privacy. The accessibility of Facebook and its widespread use has created privacy problems for users, teens, and interviewees by allowing easy control to viewers.

    Read More

  • Foucault's Panopticon

    1851 Words  | 4 Pages

    Foucault wished to have his work be a tool that users could take and apply to what they need it. In the example of Foucault’s analysis of the idea of the panopticon, originally put forward by Bentham, there has been some success of it being used in the area of modern surveillance, but more likely it has not been used in the way that Foucault has described it in his work. Beginning with an overview of how Foucault describes the panopticon and the ways in which power relations are formed in that environment, how the relationship between the seen and the seeing creates an environment that can shape behaviour. I will then move on to how modern surveillance has used those principles to create desired effects. Within modern surveillance systems the

    Read More

  • The Social Distraction

    1112 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Betty White’s opening monologue to Saturday Night Live, she said, “I didn’t know what Facebook was, and now that I do know what it is, I have to say, it sounds like a huge waste of time. I would never say the people on it are losers, but that’s only because I’m polite.” Originally intended for the use of students at Harvard University in 2004, Facebook grew exponentially to be an online phenomenon in the years following. In 2006, it became accessible to anyone and everyone with internet connection. Aside from the advantages that give the site its popularity, creating a profile comes with a number of significant disadvantages inherit to online social networks. What do more than 500 million active users use their Facebook for? Communicating with long distance friends and spreading awareness of causes are common responses. Unfortunately, Facebook has it flaws, from limiting the privacy of relationships to creating a form of almost unmanageable bullying, making one reconsider their involvement and think, “do I really want my Facebook account?”

    Read More

  • Facebook Effects in Socialization

    875 Words  | 2 Pages

    In this day and age, many individuals simply cannot go without some sort of socialization. Specifically speaking, most participate in online social networking sites. The most popular and used one is commonly known as Facebook. Facebook was created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg. By 2007, Facebook had over 21 million users, adding up to 1.6 billion page views every single day. The typical user spends over twenty minutes per day on Facebook and two thirds of the users log in every day at least once. It is not questionable as to why many people have a Facebook account. Facebook is generally efficient, easy for socialization, and not difficult to manage. Most organizations are affiliated with Facebook, as “almost 22,000 organizations had Facebook directories,” as of November 2006. A year after that in 2007, Facebook was named the seventh most popular website (Ellison 1). However, with anything well known, many oppose to using Facebook and hold criticism against the popular network. There are many flaws in the website and the relationships it starts online. Facebook is risking dangerous activities, ignoring privacy laws, and demeaning healthy socialization.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Importance Of Social Media

    888 Words  | 2 Pages

    The issues caused by online privacy are growing with the increase of Social Networking Sites. Virtually all Social Networking Sites have ‘public’ as their default privacy setting, however that is not what the majority of users prefer. According to a survey by the Pew Research Center’s Internet Project & American Life, 80 % of the users go to the effort to change their settings to private. With the increasing awareness of cyber – crime and the need for privacy, users have now started to rethink their actions online. Carefully selecting whom among your Facebook friends see your personal information, and who should be restricted, blocked or unfriended.

    Read More

More about Essay On Panopticism

Open Document