contextual & theoretical studies
lundi 29 novembre 2010
Panopticism (1)
In “Discipline and Punish” (1977), the philosopher Michel Foucault develops the idea of Panopticism, a term stemming from the Panopticon : a circular prison made of cells which can all be seen by a guardian sitting in the middle of the building, but where the prisoners cannot see the other cells. The main principle of panopticism is the constant observation of one set of people by more powerful people who are confining them with the purpose of controlling them and learning about them.
In “Discipline and Punish” (1977), the philosopher Michel Foucault develops the idea of Panopticism, a term stemming from the Panopticon : a circular prison made of cells which can all be seen by a guardian sitting in the middle of the building, but where the prisoners cannot see the other cells. The main principle of panopticism is the constant observation of one set of people by more powerful people who are confining them with the purpose of controlling them and learning about them.
I want to compare the panoptic prison to reality TV, such as the well-known programme “Big Brother”, where a group of people live in the same place, interact with each other and have to “survive” until the end, all of this under the eyes of many cameras which do not miss any details. “It lays down for each individual his place, his body […], his well-being, by means of an omnipresent and omniscient power that subdivides itself in a regular, interrupted way even to the ultimate determination of the individual, of what characterizes him, of what belongs to him, of what happens to him.” (Foucault, 1977, p.62). As Foucault says, candidates of reality TV let the audience know everything about their lives. “ The panoptic mechanism arranges spatial unities that make it possible to see constantly and to recognize immediately.”(Foucault, 1977, p.64). Those taking part are just individuals who are prepared to submit to being observed.
There is an interesting comparison between prisoners and participants. In reality TV they are all observed under the same conditions (confined, ruled) except for the fact that the latter have chosen to be like that and they are not alone. This is exactly the main interest of “Big Brother”, and the reason why people watch it : we are waiting for interactions between participants. “Invisibility (between convicts) is a guarantee of order”(Foucault, 1977,p.65), but as we want some animation and the most dramatic events possible, they do not only see each other but live together.
Foucault analyses panopticism also as “the work of naturalist”. “It makes it possible to observe performances […] to map aptitudes, to assess characters”(Foucault, 1977, p.66) and to identify everyone according to the way we see them. “The Panopticon is a privileged place for experiments on men, and for analyzing with complete certainty the transformations that may be obtained from them.”(Foucault, 1977, p.67). “Big Brother” resembles a giant laboratory where human nature is the main object of study, where the guinea pigs are not only those who live in it, but also those who find an interest in watching.
[Foucault, M. (1977) Discipline and Punish : the Birth of the Prison. France : Gallimard]
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[Foucault, M. (1977) Discipline and Punish : the Birth of the Prison. France : Gallimard]
