The Community Panopticon: A Contemporary Application of the Panoptic Model in Neighborhood Surveillance

Abstract

My senior thesis research adapts the classic panoptic structure into a modern theoretical form, the “community panopticon,” based on social, economic, and physical capital. I contextualize each of these forms of capital as measurable indexes that alter the degree of Panoptic Perception in each neighborhood and residents’ subsequent responses to it. Quantitatively, I surveyed Chicagoland conducting multivariate and ordered logistic regression, and quadrant segmentation to measure how social, economic, and physical capital perceive panoptic surveillance and measure how residents respond to such. Qualitatively, I conducted semi-structured interviews to provide social and spatial context to the indices. Findings suggest that economic and social capital influence the extent of panoptic perception among Chicagoland residents, and the extent to which those capitals influence how neighborhoods respond. Additionally, qualitative results indicated that residents’ digital activity as social identifiers have indicative influences on the extent to which they feel watched.