Blog One: Who is Watching?

Blog One: Who is Watching?

By Hollie Gill

“…a user’s experience on the internet is a dizzyingly free zone…One can say anything to anyone” (Turkle, 1995, p. 246). In cyber space today, this is not always the case. In the modern day global social network of Facebook, we are constantly under observation.

The Facebook page, Stories That Shocked The World which I will be blogging about over the next few weeks, is one I have been involved in for some time. It is described as a page focusing on rare stories of a historic, odd, and bizarre nature sometimes of a macabre or grim reality (Stories that shocked the world, 2013), which can make participation within this networking an educational experience as it informs its members on stories that most of the general community are unaware of. Although, despite these positive experiences there is a prominent display of power within this network which is exercised through the use of rules members need to follow in order to be able to stay on, and participate in this group. These rules include guidelines such as no abusive language, and that members are to write in English. However, how would one know they are being observed at any given time?

In the week 2 lecture Dr Petray (2013) spoke about many ways in which power could be exercised, including the production of the Panopticon, a prison designed by Jeremy Bentham which allowed the figure of authority to exercise his power without being seen. Turkle (1995) states that “Prisoners would have to assume they were being observed and would therefore behave…” (p. 247). The same could be said for the set of rules on my virtual network. Members would not be aware if they were actually been watched or if their comments were been regulated by the figure of authority every time they took part in online conversation. Allen (2003) states, in the panopticon, individuals are made to feel that their every action is being watched, but are unable to say whether or not it is actually happening.

This constant thought of being watched however, does not stop the majority of the population using social networks such as Facebook which has “…over one billion active users” (Facebook, 2013).  Is it that we no longer care who is exercising power over us because we are so caught up in the world of social networking?

Reference List:

Allen, J. (2003). Introduction: lost geographies. Lost geographies of power (pp. 1-12). Retrieved from http://masterfile.jcu.edu.au.elibrary.jcu.edu.au

Facebook. (2013). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook

Petray, T. (2013) BA1002: Our space: network, narrative and the making of place, week 2 notes.[PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from https://learnjcu.jcu.edu.au

Stories that shocked the world. (2013). Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/STSTW

Turkle, S. (1995). Life on the screen: identity in the age of the internet. Retrieved from http://masterfile.jcu.edu.au.elibrary.jcu.edu.au

Image Credits:

Annajones, I. (2011). Facebook does it again. Retrieved from http://www.picturesandwords.co.uk/index.php/2011/09/facebook-does-it-again/