Foucault’s Power Trip: From Prisons to Data Centres

Filed under: Surveillance | Soft Control | Philosophical Firewalls

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Michel Foucault wasn’t a hacker. But he damn well should’ve been.

In the 20th century, he showed us how power doesn’t just punish — it watches, trains, nudges, and reshapes. His famous Panopticon wasn’t just a prison design. It was a metaphor for society itself. A system where you behave not because you’re forced… but because you’re being watched.

The Panopticon Goes Cloud-Native

Fast forward to now, and Foucault’s tower has moved to the cloud.

Your data lives in Arctic bunkers and hyper-cooled server farms. You don’t know who’s watching. Or when. But you behave — you self-censor — just in case.

“Visibility is a trap.” — Foucault, echoing through your browser history.

Data Centres: The New Disciplinary Institutions

Foucault mapped power in prisons, schools, and hospitals — places designed to produce 'docile bodies'. Now we’ve got Google Docs and biometric scans. Power no longer needs walls. It just needs Terms & Conditions.

• Prisoners? Nah. You’re a “user.”
• Discipline? Now called UX optimisation.
• Judgement? Comes in the form of algorithmic demotion.

And the best part? You volunteered for it. Clicked “Accept All” with a smile.

Foucault in the Age of the Feed

Foucault warned us that power mutates. It decentralises. It hides in systems that feel benign — educational, medical, digital. He’d see today’s infinite scroll as the new classroom. The new clinic. The new cell.

Only now, your warden is an algorithm. Your therapist is a chatbot. And your confession booth? That would be Instagram Stories.

This isn’t dystopia. This is discipline 3.0 — power without contact. Control without coercion. You’re the prisoner and the guard, logging in hourly.

So, What Would Foucault Say?

He wouldn’t say, “Resist.” He’d say, “Observe the machine. Then dance sideways.” Because once you see the structure, you can subvert it. Just not by tweeting about it.

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