Sociology
The Digital Panopticon and Modern Surveillance in Social Life
Quick fact
In the original Panopticon design, a single guard could watch hundreds of prisoners without them knowing if they were being observed. Today, a person checking their social media may feel watched by hundreds of invisible eyes, even when offline—a modern twist on the Panopticon.
Why this is interesting
Imagine you’re in a public square, but no one is watching—yet you still act as if they might be. Is that freedom, or is it just a silent cage?