Table of Contents
Definition of Panoptic Surveillance
(noun) Surveillance that is constant and uneasing, sometimes barely visible, and the observed never engages with the observers.
Examples of Panoptic Surveillance
- Security cameras in an office.
- Watchtower at a prison.
Panoptic Surveillance Pronunciation
Syllabification: pan·op·tic sur·veil·lance
Audio Pronunciation
Phonetic Spelling
- American English – /pa-nAHp-tik suhr-vAY-luhns/
- British English – /pan-Op-tik suhr-vAY-luhns/
International Phonetic Alphabet
- American English: /ˌpæˈnɑptɪk sɚˈveɪləns/
- British English: /pænˈɒptɪk sɜːˈveɪl(ə)ns/
Usage Notes
- Plural: panoptic surveillances
- Panoptic surveillance is a method of control.
- Based in Jeremy Bentham’s (1748–1832) conceptualization of the panoticon, which is a circular tower serving as a prison, with unseen security located at the center.
Additional Information
Related Terms
Cite the Definition of Panoptic Surveillance
ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “panoptic surveillance.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved September 17, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/panoptic-surveillance/).
APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)
panoptic surveillance. (2013). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/panoptic-surveillance/
Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “panoptic surveillance.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed September 17, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/panoptic-surveillance/.
MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)
“panoptic surveillance.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 17 Sep. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/panoptic-surveillance/>.