Friday, April 16, 2010

S03. Telephonic Panopticon

Apologies on the lateness of this post. Apparently I fell asleep writing it last night. Very strange.

Reading Yoon's article, it occurs to me that the Korean government should be happy that their youth are apparently more interested in organizing candlelight vigils than other forms of protest. From what I can tell, the independence of South Korean internet services is less out of preference for them over the western options, than out of a desire for government control. It also wouldn't shock me if the government is the source of certain moral panics related to technology. Girls turning to prostitution to feed their phone bill occurs to me as both a bizarre image, and one of those things parents/ government spread around to make the new generation appear crazy. Remember rainbow parties? Neither do I.

I'd like to have seen this article go into the description of the effects of camera phones, which have in recent years been rearming the American populace. Due to the discreteness of many phones capable of recording video the presence of cell phones around any and all police, government and military activity has left them open to attack. "Did that officer taze only when necessary? I guess I'll let the internet decide," and then it goes on the internet.

Wikileaks, strikes me as the purest form of this vision, an anonymous webpage for the posting of leaked controversial materials. The confluence of cell phone technology and the internet to spread this material represents a reverse panopticon effect. Those once doing the watching are now the one's always being watched.

No comments: