“Man was born free, and he is everywhere in chains” – Rousseau

October 25, 2010

The above quotation (I assume) was directed towards the general populous and ignored those individuals in positions of power or dominance. Today, however, the act of surveillance has disempowered elite individuals while empowering the masses – to an extent, of course.

According to Haggerty and Ericson: “we are witnessing a rhizomatic leveling of the hierarchy of surveillance, such that groups which were previously exempt from routine surveillance are now increasingly being monitored.” The rhizome metaphor suggests that surveillance has grown exponentially through its uses, and has also created a leveling effect on hierarchies of surveillance. In the past, the dominant or empowered individuals in society used surveillance techniques to monitor the masses. This applies to Bentham’s conception of the Panopticon. Today, however, surveillance technologies are so readily available that anyone can monitor anyone, regardless of social standing.

Individuals in today’s society, equipped with smartphones, cameras, and other devices can be considered the modern-day “Flaneur.” People can possess supremacy through anonymity, observation, and the modern capabilities of mass dissemination and communication. As a result, everyday citizens have exposed people in positions of power and authority. The readings mentioned the capture of police brutality on camera as an example. This immediately reminded me of the “Officer Bubbles” phenomenon that occurred during this summer’s G20 riots.

Clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGMTm3QRwEc
News Article: http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/836982--toronto-s-officer-bubbles-gains-web-notoriety

The Officer Bubbles example shows an obvious role reversal in the standard surveillance procedures. Here, a police officer arguably abused his power and was exposed via the Internet. As a result, all involved have experienced a myriad of administrative, political, and legal headaches. If it weren’t for the rhizomatic growth of such mechanisms for surveillance, something like this would likely never have escalated to such an important story. Referring back to the Rousseau quote I used in my title, this viewpoint is now applicable to everyone in society. We are all susceptible to the “chains” placed on our freedom by various hierarchically-equal methods of surveillance.