ALTERED STATES

"However, if Foucault’s panopticon is right about one aspect of our contemporary lives, it is in the conception that the real power is not with Big Brother, but rather distributed throughout the social space. In Foucault’s account the state observes people and thereby produces altered behavior, but also, importantly, a common sense of correct behavior develops, and individuals alter their behavior as well in the name of social conformity. In this sense, Big Brother is not the government—rather, Big Brother is us. The ease with which we can monitor each other and self-monitor our behavior accordingly resembles this particular aspect of Foucault’s panopticon on steroids."

from Ubiquitous Surveillance by David Parry