In my previous post, I had expounded on my understanding of the panopticon and how the panopticon affects human behavior and whether or not it should be utilized in certain aspects of society. The architectural theory of a single, central tower observing its occupants through one-way mirrors seems pretty far-fetched. Though some would assume that the panopticon is a mere concept, the Internet has surprisingly become a panopticon in its own way. I explained in my previous post about how anonymity brews a feeling of power and ability to do as one pleases, and most people would assume that the internet is a very anonymous place where such power exists. However, Mark Winkour explains how the internet has ironically become a panopticon itself. Winkour talks about the “gaze” and how the Internet server sends and receives information from the user back and forth. In a sort of bidirectional gaze, the server controls what is sent to the user, and the user is able to respond to the information. Because the user chooses which server or which content to view, the user feels a sense of empowerment of choice. However, this is the opposite because the user never really has true freedom. Choosing from a list of options is a limited amount of freedom that has been hyperbolized by society. The internet has been praised and criticized countless times for its offerings of freedom and anonymity to its users, but instead, the internet has become a huge web of panopticons that constantly regulate information to its users.
The concept of the internet server has paralleled the concept of the panopticon in several ways. The user does not know who is monitoring the server or whether or not someone is monitoring the user’s activities on the server. Much like the panopticon, the central server has a lot of power to regulate information that is sent to the user and also can anonymously monitor the user. With the development of IP addresses and other user identifying procedures, the user can easily be identified and located. The server is able to record and identify all those who have visited the websites that the server hosts. An example of how the internet has lost its attributes of anonymity is the internet pirating that has spread throughout modern society. Almost anyone can simply press a button to download music and movies illegally for free, something that enrages media publishing companies. As a result, countless people have been arrested, fined, and imprisoned for downloading and distributing illegal content over the internet. How can such people be identified so accurately? It’s simply the concept of the panopticon at work. These users had no idea they were being watched, and so they participated in activities over the internet that violated copyright laws. The servers had logged and recorded the activities of the suspects, who had no idea they were being watched. Using these logs, the government had tracked and found the suspects. It’s a frightening concept; the fact that the users of the internet have lost anonymity doesn’t sit well with the internet community, which is why there is so much backlash and criticism against agencies such as the NSA. The internet is a huge web of panopticons that have encompassed and recorded all the activities of the millions of internet users. Though the illusion of anonymity and choice still exists throughout the internet; the seemingly implausible concept of the panopticon has already begun to apply itself to society as a whole.
