 |
'Posting' Power
by Tammy Finlay
 |
| Image 2: The Power of Social Media
The
notion that power
exists across all networks and operates at all levels in different ways (Petray,
2013) is clearly visible on Facebook, through the various ways in which ‘users’
(you and I) engage with the platform. Dr. Petray (2013) notes, that power is
the ability to influence the actions of others. Our power as ‘facebookers’ then, lays in the fact that we can and do
alter the thoughts and actions of others — intentionally and unintentionally—
through what we do, share and post online. Similar to how a smile or praise affects
us, research shows that even the way we employ the ‘like’
button can influence others (Rosen, 2012).
Rather than meander through cyberspace anonymously and passively like a flaneur (Barnes, 1997), my Facebook account became a type of panopticon surveillance station, where I assumed my power and 'kept an eye' on my teenage daughter, without the need to enter the network. According to Foucault (cited by Petray, 2013), just the suggestion of scrutiny ensures the 'automatic functioning of power'. Or as Barnes (1997) explains, this "imagined scrutiny (is) as effective as the actual surveillance". And that it is! My daughter regulated her online behaviour accordingly; she no longer accepts random friend requests, or posts questionable content online, fully aware that not Big Brother, but Mum might be watching!
References
Barnes,
G. (1997). Passage of the cyber-flaneur.
Retrieved from http://www.raynbird.com/essays/Passage_Flaneur.html
Facebook.(n.d.).
In Wikipedia. Retrieved 15 August
2013 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook
Petray, T. (2013). BA1002: Our Space: Networks,
narratives and the making of place, Lecture 2: Power. [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://learnjcu.edu.au
Power. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved 14 August 2013 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_(social_and_political)
Rosen, L. (2012). The power
of “like”. In Rewired: the psychology of
technology. Retrieved from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/rewired-the-psychology-technology/201207/the-power
Image Sources
|
Love your post Tammy. Parents today are definitely facing challenges that previous generations haven't, with regard to educating their kids about using social media. My son isn't on fb (yet) but he's a bit of an avid gamer and has a skype account that he uses when playing with friends. The thought that your kids are able to connect with every random weirdo on the internet is a pretty scary one and we've had a couple of talks about not voice chatting with strangers and not revealing personal info (like his age!) when interacting online. I think a lot of parents often feel quite dis-empowered when it comes to managing their kids actions on social media and the notion of panoptic surveillance is one way in which this power imbalance is redressed. We can't watch them 24/7 (just like in the real-world), but the thought of "what would happen if mum sees this" definitely acts as a regulating force. I even find myself regulating what I post on fb because I know my mum (and my Phd supervisor!) could be watching and I'm in my 30's :D
ReplyDeleteTammy, I find it very interesting that you bring up keeping an eye on your daughters activity on Facebook. It did remind me of this quote, "It is almost impossible to summon and maintain good moral character in a thickly massed population where each individual, unbeknownst to all of the others, hides in the crowd, so to speak, and blushes before the eyes of no one" Prouty, R. (2009)
ReplyDeleteI wonder how much your daughter alters her behaviour because she knows that mum is watching? It will be great to hear about your observations. It sounds like a suitable way to maintain power over your daughter. Seeing as the information is online forever, i'm sure in the future your daughter will be grateful she wasn't posting anything inappropriate that she would later regret.
Hi ladies, thanks for your comments. Just to assure you both I am not some overbearing Mum, I didn't monitor Tenee's online activity to "maintain power" over her, but rather simply mediate her usage of social media. The impact of my supposed 'surveillance' (seriously, I didn't stalk her) was essentially an unspoken agreement between the two of us: she knows what my limits are and she adhered to them. So I guess this reflects the relational aspect of power, because if she didn't like it, she easily could have closed her account and opened another (hmm, better go check this!) :-)
ReplyDelete