Panopticon - the first Big Brother

What do a modern, comfortable hospital and targeted grocery coupons have in common with an 18th century theory about controlling prisoners?

The answer is the panopticon, a prison system design devised by Jeremy Bentham in 1785. The design allows a centrally-located observer to see or watch (the meaning of the second part of the word, -opticon) everyone (the familiar first part of the word… pan).

An inmate of a Bentham-designed prison would never know when he was under surveillance. In theory, a watcher could be observing him all the time. Because of this possibility, the inmate (theoretically) would behave at all times as if he were being watched. So one benefit of the architectural design was indirect behavior modification.

The hospital where my two children were born had a modified panopticon design in several departments, including the maternity ward. You can see, even from the outside, the characteristic circular pattern of rooms. But the design inside the hospital was "modified" because each cell, or patient room, had a solid wood door that closed for privacy – something the prison design specifically eliminated.

Despite this important difference, the hospital and Bentham-inspired prison buildings have much in common. Fewer guards (or nurses) are required to monitor the inmates (or patients), leading to much more efficient and responsive care-giving.

What's surprising and a little unsettling is how those ubiquitous emailed coupons from your pharmacy or grocery store trace their inspiration back to the same prison concept – centralized surveillance.

The panopticon design in architecture has undergone a major change due to the availability of high-tech surveillance equipment. Now, even standard square-stacked rooms in hospitals, office buildings, storage facilities, and conference centers are monitored from a central location – but that location may not even be in the same country. "Central" is a more general term in the 21st century, with a more metaphoric meaning: a focal point without the "focus" of human eyes.

And in one of those central locations, surveillance data is being collected on your everyday shopping habits. In the best tradition of the panopticon concept, there is even an attempt at behavior modification going on here – at a distance. The consumer is observed during every transaction, and then suggestions/rewards are offered to influence future behavior.

Thanks, Jeremy.