The major effect of The Panopticon is the automatic functioning of power, through inducing a state of conscious and permanent visibility. The architecture of an institution, such as a prison, creates and sustains a power over the prisoner because the prisoner knows they can be observed at all times, without ever actually seeing, however they can never tell whether they are being observed at that moment. By using blacked out windows in the towers, the idea of observation is used without proving to the prisoner that anyone is in the tower. This would lead to feelings of paranoia.
The Panopticon is efficient as, "He who is subjected to a field of visibility... assumes responsibility for the constraints of power... he becomes the principle of his own subjection (Foucault, 1999, pg 66). So it becomes a learned behaviour which they don't have to force; they will be on good behaviour all the time, as they constantly feel they are being watched.
In places such as offices, schools, shopping centres etc the Panopticon can 'observe performances... to map aptitudes, to assess characters, to draw up rigorous classifications' (Foucault, 1999, pg 66) and so can do the work of a naturalist scientist, drawing conclusions on people's characters through observing them in their 'natural environment', living their every day lives. In this way, the Panopticon can make many places into a laboratory, so it can be used to carry out experiments, and through observation and character assessment, train or correct individuals behaviour.
In each of its applications, Panopticism can strengthen power because it can reduce the number of those who exercise it, whilst at the same time increasing the number of those on whom it is exercised. It also makes it possible to intervene at any time, but the real power is that is never intervenes; that in fact is it exercised without making a big deal of it. It controls the masses with subtlety, in our every day existance, in the very foundations of society. Through only architecture and geometry, it acts directly on the individual and gives 'power of mind over mind' (Foucault, 1999, pg 68).
In a society made up on private individuals and The State, the Panoptic principle is particularly useful as it is the 'one thing' (The State) watching the 'masses' (the Individual). However, the effect of the Panoptic principle would be that the individual would be carefully fabricated, rather than suppressed. This means that instead of taking away their freedom, or identity as an individual, it becomes manufactured, and they do it on their own, as a learned behaviour.
Foucault, M 1999, 'Panopticism', in Evans & Hall, Visual Culture, The Open University, pg. 65-70.
Within advertising, it can be argued that the IPA (Institute of Practitioners of Advertising) has some panoptic traits. For instance, to utilize the full site, you must create a username and password, so that you are identified within the site. This also means that your movements can be followed. There is also the opportunity to speak in forums and join groups, so that your opinions and interests can be monitored. On the IPA website, you can view peoples work for competitions, as well as enter them yourself. This shows performance, from which you can assess aptitudes. The IPA has a department named IPA Professional Development Department, to whom you can contact for advice on professional growth and developing professional skills. It is evident from the IPA website, that they support the government, with an article titled 'IPA Welcomes new Coalition Goverment' 13/05/2010 and also has relations with them 'IPA welcomes launch of Government's strategy document for the creative industries' 22/02/2008.
What we can learn from The Panopticon is that power is not a thing. It is a relation between different individuals and groups that only exists when it is being exercised. Advertising is often considered to be a 'power' that is abused by the people in charge of it, ie us- the advertisers. This could link to my area of research as it is about the link between advertising and society. I think that it is hard to deny that the IPA has some traits of Panopticism, but no more than other social networking does, something that people use everyday without worrying about the observation. Because of this, I don't think that Foucault's theory of Panopticism is useful in particular for analysis of the IPA anymore than it is other social networking sites. However, it does have some merit in critically analysing professional institutions within advertising. The Giant Hydra idea does seem beneficial in Advertising, and working collaboratively as a group of creatives. It could be said that it would have panoptic traits as the naturalistic observation of how a group of people behave with each other. Personally, I don't think that in such a thing as Advertising design too much privacy and independence can be taken away through things such as the IPA and Giant Hydra. In this field of work, the adverts you create are intended to view by millions, so there is no real privacy to the work you are creating.
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