Panopticism - Seminar

Conform to society.
 Works on mental control opposed to physical.
 Creates productive members of society.

Jeremy Bentham, 1791 - designed panoptigon, used as prison thought to be good for schools, work place and asylums.

Thought to achieve better results through isolation in cells. Works around visibility/lack of, inmates are constantly on display, for it to work the inmates must always be able to view the 'power' i.e. seeing a CCTV camera not knowing whether someone is on the other end watching, but still a reminder that someone could be.

Lighting played a key role, cells constantly lit up to prevent places to hide or feel invisible.

It's not just a prison or building, its better to think of panopticism as a system of ordering and classifying subjects.

Power - Foucault believed power isn't a thing someone has over somebody else, power is better figured as a relationship. A only ever has power over B, if B willingly surcome to that power.

Examples of panopticism within our society today:

Open plan office - can all see each other, but the boss (power) always has an overviewing position
Speed cameras - puts self regulation into play, cameras might not even work but people slow down because there's a possibility
House of commons - politician's being recorded and relayed to the general population, the way they act is constantly effected or tainted by always being watched. Every move made is always made with the underlying thought of how it will be perceived in the public eye.
Institutional Gaze - 
Facebook -
Twitter - when you know people are following/watching you, tend to play up to how those people want you to act.
Gym - Constanly on display externally and internally

Docile Bodies (not lazy)