Week 3, Chapter 6, Post 2: Surveillance and Panopticon

Week 3, Chapter 6, Post 2: Surveillance and Panopticon (page 179)

In the textbook, surveillance is described as "constant supervision." And panopticon, is a the design of a prison by Jeremy Bentham which housed guards and inmates in such a manner that guards could watch inmates but the inmates never knew if they were being watched.

Going back to my work experience, the area that housed the Marketing department of the last company where I worked, had large black half circles of glass attached to the ceilings that possibly encased cameras, similar to the ones you would find in a Vegas casino. These dark glass fixtures were definitely noticeable and in our area, there were three visible ones. I can't remember if I saw these fixtures throughout the building but I'm sure they were there. To the top right of my cubicle was one and out of the corner of my eye, I could always see it.

During my first few months on the job, someone mentioned to me that he had once asked a someone in upper management about the black fixtures on the ceiling and was told that there wasn't a camera in them and if there were, that no one was monitoring them. I found that strange and didn't know if this was true or not. I don't know if other people felt uncomfortable with the fixtures and no one ever said anything about them. People went about their day and no one ever went out of their way not to be directly under one.

Perhaps the fixtures were installed with cameras to monitor work productivity, or perhaps they were installed without cameras to give the illusion of a modern power system. The only times the fixtures bothered me was when I would eat lunch at my desk. I sometimes chuckled at the poor soul who had to watch me eat, that is, if someone was watching at all.