Task 1

Panoptocism challenged by The London Riots

The UK is being watched and monitored there are 1.85m CCTV cameras, over 75million mobile phones and 75% of UK Internet users use social networking sites. All these different “panopticons” are a form of internalizing the idea that we are always been watched. You never do anything wrong. Allows power to function automatically especially after the riots due to the police stressing that they can and are monitoring.

There was a fault in this system where the offenders could communicate through a private messaging media (blackberry messenger) that couldn’t be detected by the authorities. CCTV cameras are a ponopticon in them selves, the subject can be seen but cannot see the viewer; ‘he is seen but does not see’ (Panopticism – Michel Foucault). Therefore there is fear instilled in the subject; ‘Visibility is a trap’. (Panopticism – Michel Foucault). However this did not stop the London Riots because people fought against the “panopticon” as they learnt that they could hide individually in numbers. Which increased difficulty levels for the authorities. In Michel Foucault’s Ponopticism he explains about the syndic, ‘keeps it under surveillance’ (Panopticism – Michel Foucault) this is an example of how order is kept, ‘if he leaves the street he will be condemned to death’ (Panopticism – Michel Foucault). This is fine used as a single man threat but if 5 plus decided to rebel then the offenders would over power. A curfew during the riots was never put into action. Would this of helped? At the start of the riots there were 6,000 police officers, which was increased to 16,000 but still was no enough to control huge mass of looters, the police system failed. As the syndic’s system would fail in the same principle. ‘How will power, by increasing its forces, be able to increase those of society instead of confiscating them or impeding them?’ (Panopticism – Michel Foucault). The government had to help the out number authorities by instilled a fear through the media threatening the public that they are being watched and monitored.

So after the riots there was a suggestion of a curfew, but would this upset the majority knowing they are being watched and ruled. Unlike CCTV cameras which people have learnt to accept this is also instilled in the panopticon with its traits, Visibility/invisibility – Institutional Gaze, Isolated, Stop people conspiring, Stop people sharing there experiences important for self-discipline, Self-discipline, Self-regulating, Machine to produce productivity, Under surveillance and The shift from physical to mental discipline (Modern disciplinary society).

From this study it is clear that systems of order can fail when offenders can communicate which is the opposite of what the Panopticon enforces.