By Peter Cotton
Power. It shapes our world—from the electricity that charges our phones to the energy that moves the oceans and even the invisible forces that influence our choices. But technology has fundamentally changed the way power works, especially the kind of power described by French intellectual Michel Foucault in the 20th century: the hidden force that makes society ‘tick’.
The digital revolution—from the internet to smartphones, wearables, big data, real-time tracking, and artificial intelligence—has completely transformed the structures Foucault once observed.
To understand how technology has reshaped power today, let’s first take a journey back and see how power operated in the past.
Power in the Middle Ages: Visible Strength, Invisible Public
Think back to the late Middle Ages, around 1400–1700 AD. Back then, power was all about visibility. Kings ruled through fear, commanding nations with top-down authority and very public acts of strength.
Law and order were maintained through brutal, visible punishments. A rogue councillor might be dragged through the streets and flogged in the square on the king’s whim. It was simple: fear of public humiliation—or worse—kept people in line.
This was power in its most raw and visible form. But it was far from subtle.
Modern Power: The Age of Institutions
Fast forward to 1700–1984, and the game had completely changed. Power was no longer centred around kings or public acts of dominance. Instead, it became diffuse, spread across institutions like schools, hospitals, prisons, and bureaucracies.
This shift wasn’t just about decentralisation. It was about invisibility. No single person wielded power; it was embedded in systems and structures. Even presidents and prime ministers were just parts of a larger network, implementing laws, regulations, and societal norms.
Foucault described this shift brilliantly:
“Power is exercised rather than possessed.” – (Foucault, 2020 [1975])
Modern power worked by normalising behaviour. It wasn’t about dragging people through the streets—it was about quietly shaping their habits and expectations. Think about schools categorising students into top and bottom groups, hospitals measuring patients against standardised metrics, or even workplaces monitoring productivity. Over time, people internalised these norms and began to regulate themselves.
The All-Seeing Eye: Foucault’s Panopticon
Foucault used the Panopticon, a prison design by Jeremy Bentham, as a metaphor for modern power.
Picture a circular building with a watchtower at the centre. Prisoners in surrounding cells couldn’t see the guard in the tower, but they knew they might be watched at any moment. The result? They behaved as though they were always being watched.
This idea of self-regulation through the possibility of surveillance extended beyond prisons. Schools, hospitals, and offices all mirrored this concept, creating systems where people conformed, even when no one was watching.
Fig 1: The Plan of the Panopticon (Reveley, 1843 [1791])
Enter the Digital Age: From Discipline to Control
Foucault passed away in 1984, just as the digital revolution was kicking off. Since then, technology has completely upended the way power operates. Surveillance isn’t confined to physical spaces anymore. The internet, smartphones, and wearables mean we’re always connected—and always visible.
But something deeper is happening. It’s not just about being watched. Technology has ushered in what Gilles Deleuze called the control society.
Control Societies: Power Without Chains
In the modern era, power disciplined people through institutions. In the digital age, it’s about freedom—at least on the surface.
Instead of physical barriers, control societies use data to guide our behaviour. Think of social media. You’re not forced to share your life, but you do it anyway, curating posts for specific audiences. Tinder encourages connections outside traditional social circles. LinkedIn showcases your professional achievements.
These platforms create “dividuals,” breaking people into segments based on their behaviours and preferences. Every click, like, and swipe adds to a vast pool of data, which companies and governments use to predict and influence our actions.
For instance, e-commerce sites recommend products you didn’t know you needed. Dating apps refine matches based on your interactions. This isn’t power in the form of discipline; it’s power through desire.
Empowerment or Exploitation?
At its best, this new model of power is liberating. It allows people to explore their desires, connect with others, and access personalised solutions.
But there’s a dark side. Systems that satisfy desires can also manipulate them, encouraging overindulgence or exploiting vulnerabilities like addiction. The line between empowerment and exploitation is thin, and it’s up to those who design and operate these systems to tread carefully.
Where Do We Go From Here?
Technology has shifted power dynamics in ways Foucault and Deleuze could only begin to imagine. Whether this is a good or bad thing depends on how we choose to wield this power.
In a world where data is king, the challenge is clear: to use technology responsibly, balancing freedom and control. As practitioners, leaders, and users, we must ask ourselves—are we using technology to empower or to exploit?
The future of power is being written today. How we navigate this new dynamic will shape the world for generations to come.
Conclusion
Power has evolved from visible acts of strength to hidden systems of discipline, and now to data-driven control. Technology isn’t just reshaping society—it’s reshaping us.
Whether we see this as an opportunity or a threat, one thing is certain: power in the digital age is no longer what it used to be. And it’s up to us to decide what comes next.
References
Deleuze, G. (1992) ‘Postscript on the Societies of Control’, October, 59, pp. 3-7.
Foucault, M. (2020 [1975]) Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison. Great Britain: Penguin Modern Classics.
Foucault, M. (2020 [1979]) The History of Sexuality – Volume 1: The Will to Knowledge. Great Britain: Penguin Random House.
Reveley, W. (1843 [1791)] Plan of the Panopticon. Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panopticon#/media/File:Panopticon.jpg [Accessed 2nd January 2025).
This article is an abridged version of part of a MA Philosophy dissertation thesis entitled “Has technology increased the exercise of modern power as described by Michel Foucault?” by the same author.
A full version is available on request.
