Panopticism

Panopticon – a way for someone to be in a place of authority by gaining information through spectating.

In class we made this connection to our smart phones and information stored; is anything ever really safe? really private? I think about how my husband is shopping for Nikes and all of a sudden I’m seeing ads on my Facebook when he never used my computer and he doesn’t even have a Facebook. It seems like an abuse of power. Observing to gain information and use it to benefit…

Dr. Crane mentioned the idea that we are able, as instructors, to view student activity. I hadn’t thought of myself as the spectator! But it’s true, I find myself checking on students who are falling behind to see whether or not they’ve even been on Canvas… and I wonder if that changes my views on certain students… subconsciously.

When focusing on digital identity, my in class partner and I compared our Amazon recommendations page. We unknowingly were helping Amazon curate our digital identity. My page lay out was different than his. Mine was covered in categories like women’s clothes and jewelry, baby items, children’s books, 19th century literature. My classmates’ page had video games, books in Spanish, Anime items. Looking at our lists could tell a stranger a lot about us.