[-empyre-] the netopticon

[Simon Biggs]

Hi Marc

A substantial post that will take time to digest (in both senses). I think
I'll do it in small serves.

The quote below appears to support Foucault's panoptic model, with everyone
complicit in the process of surveillance. I've just checked Discipline and
Punish and so far as I can see Foucault doesn't reference Weber.

The SSN is an interesting project. They have a listserv, Surveillance and
Society, that is worth being on. My impression of the people who are
involved in that network is that many are concerned about the erosion of
civil liberties and critical of the expansion of state surveillance,
especially since 9/11. They also seem a reasonably sophisticated bunch,
familiar with the Foucauldian view. In this apprehension it is recognised
there is a conspiracy - but (arguably) we are all part of it.

Best

Simon


On 10/01/2011 19:01, "marc garrett" <marc.garrett at furtherfield.org> wrote:

> The publication begins by saying
> "Conventionally, to speak of surveillance society is to invoke something
> sinister, smacking of dictators and totalitarianism. We will come to Big
> Brother in a moment but the surveillance society is better thought of as
> the outcome of modern organizational practices, businesses, government
> and the military than as a covert conspiracy. Surveillance may be viewed
> as progress towards efficient administration, in Max Weber's view, a
> benefit for the development of Western capitalism and the modern
> nation-state." 


Simon Biggs
simon at littlepig.org.uk
http://www.littlepig.org.uk/

s.biggs at eca.ac.uk
http://www.elmcip.net/
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