One aspect of the
Materialities & Imaginaries of Informational
Capitalism that I found to be very fascinating from lecture on September 28th was the power and geometry of space, and the ways technologies have become connected and articulated in a way
that becomes a territory to many. Watching the live video of the camera filming the city in Japan I believe it was, was remarkable, not for the fact that such viewership is possible in 2016, but rather the elements to make up space: the routes of transportation, modes
of vehicles, modes of communication, buildings and edifices – the loci of
identity and mobility, as Professor Herman described that day. The power relations of those filming it, those broadcasting it, those possibly stealing the broadcast, all in comparison to those within it is unparalleled. A being watching over sounds religious, formatted to the plural to say beings/other citizens, then a shift in feelings of safety may fall into play. The interconnectedness one feels when viewing it is remarkable.
Here is another live feed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiiSNr76XH0
This is of a city in Poland, and on the youtube site it allows people to comment/say something. The rate at which people could post and exclaim thoughts and opinions or merely converse is undoubtedly attainable, and free. Much could arise that could halt operations if something is communicated.
The governing body of these cameras must certainly have this space under control and through heavy security in order to protect the geographically owned space, would you not agree?
I agree, the video of Japan showed in class was very interesting. It is impressive to see how far technology has come. However, it is also concerning to think of how much survelliance we as a society are constantly under. This reminds me of a concept we discussed in past communication courses. This concept is Foucault's "biopower". The idea that being watched can alter a person's behaviour as well as establishing power relations between the watched and those doing the watching. This was just a theory, however this theory is implemented into our every day lives and is now being looked upon as a societal norm. Almost every public and private institution or property has security cameras that monitor the behaviour of others. Even our activity online is being monitored and tracked. This can be looked upon as an affect of capitalism.
ReplyDeleteI think that particularly in this society, surveillance is a huge concept that we cannot ignore because we are constantly affected by it. It is interesting to how there are many surveillance cameras set up in parts of Europe and after seeing through the surveillance camera in Poland, it does relate to power and control.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I think that this surveillance camera relates to the concept of Panopticism introduced by Foucault which is something we learned in our previous communication classes. I think it gives an illusion of pedestrians being watched that is what causes people do behavior in a certain way. This idea of uncertainty is very useful topic that is currently used in schools, and even in prisons. I think it ultimately goes down to control in the behaviors of who is being watched.
I agree. It was very interesting to see the live feed of Shibuya especially because I didn't even know the live feed existed until we discussed it in class. It's interesting to see how each segment has a specific purpose. The link you posted is also quite interesting. I enjoy being able to see these parts of the world that I haven't seen yet as well as being able to comment/read other people's point of views. It gives a sense of community I think, as we are very much connected by technology.
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