We Are Watching You

“Power flows through complex systems of networked interaction.” (Allen, 2003. P.7) This is specifically pertinent when analysing social networks, in particular, that of the virtual kind. When partaking in online social media, power is not something that is always considered. However, when delving further into the realm of Instagram, we see just how prevalent it is.

Instagram is a must-have networking application that allows its users to share photos or videos, publicly or privately. When using Instagram, it is easy to recognise that “power comes out of connections;” (Kuttainen, 2016) the more followers one has, the more influence they can expend. This power is accumulated through the use of various methods; whether it be a continuous posting of well-filtered photos, or the use of trending 'hash-tags', there are many unwritten rules of Instagram that will ensure popularity.

The truth behind virtual social media. (Redbubble.com, 2016)

It is through these unspoken social normalities that we realise the digital age has vast similarities to that of Bentham’s panopticon. Dr. Rayner from ABC.net.au analyses these parallels and concludes that, just as prisoners in a Panopticon tailor their behaviour on the assumption that they are being watched, “social media users proceed on the assumption that they are being judged on the basis of the content they share, [so they] select and frame the content with a view to pleasing and/or impressing a certain crowd.” (Rayner, 2013). This is quite predominant throughout Instagram, with members altering the way in which they post due to fear of being judged. It is, and will continue to be (over the next four weeks), interesting to consider such a popular social media platform in a distinctively diverse light.

Allen, J. (2003). Lost Geographies of Power. England: Blackwell.

Kuttainen, V. (2016). BA1002: Our Space, networks, narratives, and the making of place. Lecture 2: Power. [PowerPoint slides.] Retrieved from http;//learnjcu.edu.au

Rayner, T. (2013) Why Facebook and Twitter are the virtual panopticons of our time. Retrieved from http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/philosopherszone/why-facebook-and-twitter-are-the-virtual-panopticons-of-our-time/5089494

Image: You Are Being Monitored. Retried from http://www.redbubble.com/people/specik/works/16810217-you-are-being-monitored?grid_pos=1&p=sticker