Surveillance Assemblage: Communication Technologies and Change

Surveillance Assemblage 1
COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES AND CHANGE
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Surveillance Assemblage 2
From the notes, surveillance assemblage is where people work and operate together in creating
new advanced systems and increasing their number. The aim is to increase surveillant capacity in
monitoring movement of people. It also maintains order. Its operation is characterized by
abstracting bodies of human being and separate them into flows (Barnard-Wills and Wells 2012).
Surveillant assemblage is a visualizing device and much used on body of human being. It leads
the society and develops it according to Foucault and might also be unfair to the society because
not all members will be prone to the condition. Orwell said that surveillance was a way of
maintaining a form of hierarchical social control.
The improvement of surveillance led to monitoring of people, behavior, images, groups, and
police also to maintain conformity and order by use of computer devices and systems which are
integrated together.
2. Key terms and concepts
 Surveillance- This is observing and monitoring activities to direct and protect people
(Pridmore and Zwicks 2011). This led to improvement of self-discipline which
contributed to productive development of modern lives. It also ensures privacy.
 Assemblage- It includes entities working and functioning together and they become
united. For example systems and people. They must not be confused as they are part of
state formation.
 Panopticon- It is an architectural design of a proposed prison. It was designed to oversee
prisoners in individual cells which were isolated. It was used for observation and
articulating their behavior. Guards monitored inmates from the central tower without
their consent.