Task one- Panopticism.

Choose an example of one aspect of contemporary culture that is, in your opinion, panoptic. Write an explanation of this, in approximately 200-300 words, employing key Foucauldian language, such as 'Docile Bodies' or 'self-regulation, and using not less than 5 quotes from the text 'Panopticism' in Thomas, J. (2000) 'Reading Images', NY, Palgrave McMillan.


CCTV is the new society of panoptic it by means of it being placed around the cities where we all live/ work and play, being ensured that it is for our own safety! 'Hence the major effect of the panopticon: to induce in the inmate a state of conciseness and permanent visibility that assures the automatic functioning of power' (Foucault, 2000: 65) Yet is it really or is it simply means to keep an eye on what we are doing constantly where we go what we do almost like a big eye in the sky. ‘who take pleasure in spying and punishing’ (Foucault, 1977: ). There have been many situations where people have said its invasion of there privacy and yet again the cameras still lye on the lampost around the UK. As crime increases and the rate of criminals being charged for these crimes such as vandalism robbery etc the more people start seeing the point and necessity of the cameras. As years have gone on we now accept that we are being watched and in most cases were not becoming docile bodies to the government always looking around before doing something in fearer of being caught and charged by police etc. Therefore we begin to conform to society in ways which have never been seen before basically monitoring our own movements and  self-regulating our behavior. 'Visible: the inmate will constantly have before his eyes the tall outline of the central tower from which he's spied upon. Unverifiable: the inmate must never know wether he is being looked at at any one moment; but he must be sure that he may always be so' (Foucault 1977: 80) CCTV makes us act in a way which makes you feel guilty even if not doing anything wrong at that time almost as if your guilty unless proven otherwise it has a real sense of invasion into your life its almost being controlled by someone you cant even see and don't know.'The panopticon functions as a kind of laboratory of power.' (Foucault 1977:84) The panopticon was a tower in which the guards would evaluate the inmates behavior and take control of the situation should there be one. Much like our society with  police vs the people today.