The Panoptic Sort: A Political Economy Of Personal InformationThe consensus is clear. Personal privacy will become the dominant issue of the 1990s. Yet a focus on privacy, as we have come to understand it so far, all but guarantees that we ignore the implications of the privacy debate at the more fundamental levels of individual autonomy, collective agency, and bureaucratic control. The Panoptic Sort helps us to understand just what is at stake when the bureaucracies of government and commerce gather, share, and make use of an almost unlimited amount of personal information to manage the social and economic systems within their spheres. Unlike Foucault's panoptic prison, which involved continual, all-encompassing surveillance, the current panoptic system depends upon the ability of operators to classify and then separate disciplinary subjects into groups in a way that increases the efficiency with which the techniques of correct training or rehabilitation may be applied to each individual. This book describes in full detail the design and use of the panoptic operation, with examples from marketing, employment, insurance, credit management, and the provision of governmental social services. |
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Contents
Information and Power | 15 |
Panopticism | 21 |
Technology Markets and Culture | 35 |
Copyright | |
18 other sections not shown
Common terms and phrases
action activities analysis applications approach asked assessment associated basis become behavior claim collection communication companies concern consumers continue corporate critical defined depends described direct discussion economic efficiency emerged expected experience Express extent fact factor files firms force gather groups identified important included increase indicated individuals industry influence interaction interests involved issue knowledge less limited lists marketing means measure nature noted operation opinion organizations panoptic sort participants particular percent personal information political position potential practices Press problem profiles protection questions rationalization records referred reflect regard relations relationship represents response risk rules seen serve share similar social society status structure suggests survey telephone television tion understanding University variables York
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Bibliographic information
| Title | The Panoptic Sort: A Political Economy Of Personal Information Critical studies in communication and in the cultural industries The Panoptic Sort: A Political Economy of Personal Information, Oscar H. Gandy |
| Author | Oscar H. Gandy |
| Edition | illustrated |
| Publisher | Avalon Publishing, 1993 |
| Original from | the University of Michigan |
| Digitized | Oct 13, 2008 |
| ISBN | 081331657X, 9780813316574 |
| Length | 283 pages |
| Subjects | › › Business & Economics / Industries / Media & Communications Language Arts & Disciplines / Communication Studies Political Science / General |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |