English 3810

What I thought to be on of the most important points Michel Foucault addresses in his work was that surveillance is a form of discipline. Some of the more modern technology we are exposed to is a perfect example of his point. For instance many of us with jobs, especially in retail, work under the watchful eye of a camera. Now we do not know that anyone will actually view the tape, but on the off chance that someone does knowing that the camera is there watching you often motivates employees to stay busy.
The same goes for cameras in department stores that watch the customers. Many, but not all thieves are conscious of cameras and may have second thoughts about stealing when getting caught is a possibility.
Drivers must also be conscious of their actions, because we are being watched more on the road than anywhere else. Recently many cities, including Greenville, have installed cameras on certain stoplights. These devices record whether or not a vehicle has run a red light and you are sent a picture of the violation and a ticket. We are often tricked by those cop cars that sit on the side of the road. You can never really tell whether someone is actually in them until you get close enough for them to catch you, so you find yourself cleaning up your behavior, just in case.