The Panopticon: Surveillance, Technology, and Hollywood Depictions

This essay examines the relationship between surveillance and technology, particularly how Hollywood represents surveillance in film. It discusses Foucault's concept of the panopticon and its relevance to understanding the dynamics of power and knowledge in surveillance systems. The essay also touches upon counter-surveillance strategies and their limitations in achieving racial and social justice, considering Valerie Smith’s focus on a “documentary impulse.” The analysis considers how advancements in surveillance technology impact crime prevention and national security, while also raising concerns about individual privacy and the potential for racial bias in surveillance practices. The essay references films like 'Time Code,' 'Panic Room,' and 'Minority Report' to illustrate the positive and negative depictions of CCTV usage and its consequences, highlighting the importance of critical engagement with surveillance technologies and their societal impacts. Desklib provides access to similar essays and study resources for students.

Running head: SURVEILLANCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Surveillance and Technology
Name of the University:
Name of the Student:
Author Note:

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What is the relationship between surveillance and technology? How does Hollywood
typically represent surveillance? What value does Foucault’s reading of the panopticon
offer us in terms of understanding this imagination? How does the panopticon inform
strategies of counter-surveillance and, perhaps, might point towards their limited
ability for achieving racial and social justice? In making your argument, you might
want to think about how the limits of counter-surveillance practices challenge Valerie
Smith’s focus on a “documentary impulse” from our readings.
Surveillance is one of the essential outcome of advancement of technology. They go
conjointly which has evolved the work-ways of the crime department
(Historynewsnetwork.org). The upgradations in the surveillance equipment due to the
progress of technology has made the works of the police easier and the national security
processes more swift and sound.
Since their origin in the nineteenth century mass-media and surveillance system have
been sharing a reciprocal relation (Becker). ‘Time Code’ was the first movie where the
experiments regarding surveillance and CCTVs were made. Gradually, Hollywood has
observed an array of films where the usage of CCTV has been both positively and negatively
illustrated and the impacts or consequences of the same have been exposed such as, Panic
Room, Minority Report and Enemy of the State.
In this regard, the name of Valerie smith is worth mentioning who observed that with
the invention of moving pictures the lives of the Africans and Africa- Americans became an
interesting subject to be projected in the movies which has in turn contributed to the
empowerment of Africans across the world.
The concept Panopticon was coined by Postmodernist thinker Foucault, which is an
analysis of the dynamics of power and knowledge. His work was later extended by Jeremy

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Bentham who has explained about the institutional exploitation of the individuals based on
the informatics relationship and the intrinsic surveillance (Sparks and Grayson).
However, the increasing usage of CCTVs has dawned upon the recent debates
regarding the privacy issue of the individuals. This has paved the way to the emergence of
counter-surveillance which refers to deliberate and calculated hindrances to defy this
institutionalized processes and are generally in the forms of electronic methods, destroying
cameras and video-tape circulations. However the obvious way of video circulation has
caused some racial and social unrest. Evidences of punishment to a minority community are
often video-taped and spread across that communities which in turn evokes a sense of racism
among them.

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References:
Historynewsnetwork.org. "What Qualifies As Demagoguery? | History News
Network". Historynewsnetwork.Org, 2019,
https://historynewsnetwork.org/article/7603.Becker, Ron. "Prime-time television in
the gay nineties: Network television, quality audiences, and gay politics." Velvet Light
Trap (1998): 36-48.
Sparks, Glenn Grayson. Media Effects Research. Wadsworth, 2010, pp. 190-195.
Becker, Ron. "Prime-time television in the gay nineties: Network television, quality
audiences, and gay politics." Velvet Light Trap (1998): 36-48.