The St Andrews Panopticon

Surveillance culture in a small town

Have you ever opened social media after a night out and found a particularly unflattering photo of yourself splashed across the Union’s page? Have you ever felt embarrassed to walk down Market Street in a less-than runway-ready outfit? Ever found your silly conversation with a friend memorialised in black-and-white on overheardrews?

If you answered yes to any of the above, then congratulations, you have experienced the uncomfortable sensation of the St Andrews Panopticon.

The word ‘panopticon’ derives from ‘panoptes,’ the Greek word for ‘all-seeing.’ It refers to the prison design created by Jeremy Bentham in the eighteenth century, in which prison cells are positioned around the building’s circumference, with a central watchtower. A guard would be able to watch the inmates without being seen by them in return. Although it would not be physically possible for the guard to watch all of the inmates at once, the knowledge that they could be watched at any time leads the prisoners to regulate their own behaviour.

After every event in Club 601, the Students’ Union social media posts a selection of professional photographs taken throughout the night. Some of these are shots taken from high angles, capturing the entire dance floor in all its illuminated, unflattering glory. It’s a sudden reminder that the camera, as well as the team of technicians working above the dancefloor, are able to see everybody’s dodgy dance moves and messy make-outs. An interesting way to engage with a generation that has frequently been cited as avoidant of alcohol, dancing, and partying.

Perhaps the best examples of St Andrews’ surveillance culture are the ‘overheardrews’ and ‘crushdrews’ Instagram accounts. Students are encouraged to submit the funniest or strangest conversations they overhear, or to give descriptions of their interactions with people they find attractive. There’s an uncomfortable feeling that arises from the sense that those around you are listening into your conversations or evaluating your appearance at any given time.

Beyond St Andrews, the general attitude towards technology is overwhelmingly negative. Internationally famous venues such as Berghain in Berlin don’t allow photography inside, and threaten lifetime bans for anyone who attempts to break the rule.

This year Meta’s AI glasses have faced significant backlash and bans, with women in particular voicing concerns surrounding basic safety and privacy; many viral videos have shown men filming women without their consent using these glasses.

Most recently, Phoebe Bridgers kicked off her ‘Lost’ tour with the highly-publicised rule that phones and other recording devices must be sealed in ‘Yondr pouches’ for the duration of the show, with the pouches only unlocking at the end. Although there was a minor outcry when this rule was first announced, the majority of Bridgers’ fans seem to have reacted positively to the rule. A wider trend has grown from this, with fans who have attended one of the concerts creating artwork depicting the stage and set-up, resulting in creative output rather than unwatched videos of the experience clogging camera rolls. 

In a world where individuals are already feeling perpetually ‘watched,’ St Andrews acts not only as a microcosm of this environment, but genuinely exacerbates this sensation. However, just as the guard cannot possibly observe all the Panopticon’s prisoners at once, you are not truly being watched and judged at all times. Our university town is not a prison, after all.

Image from Wikimedia Commons