Dr. McLaren's visit

I thoroughly enjoyed Dr. McLaren’s extremely educating, enticing, and illuminating visit to our class. I really learned so much about Foucault and I think it was nice and interesting to have a guest speaker. Its nice to get different perspectives on theorists and ideas. A specific idea we discussed sparked my intrigue as well got me thinking more in deeply about Foucault. The hit television series called Gossip Girl came up in terms of surveillance and power. The class was talking about the internet and Dr. MacLaren chipped in and agreed with our thoughts how the internet is a huge power means that controls us as well as acts a communication outlet which has means to watch us and govern us. Anything that’s put on the internet can be pulled up by the government. One can broadcast his or her life on the internet and then in the future, companies can pull up the information you presented about yourself. Gossip girl has an internet blog which acts as a means of surveillance and power in the show much like our theorist Foucault discusses in his piece, The Panopticon. The show revolves around the sexualized, highly drug induced lifestyles of Manhattan’s elite. And, as a result of their scandalous and wild lives there is a blog that captures all the activities and social networking of all the teenagers. It depicts who is dating who and gossips about everybody’s lives. Whether you are have family problems or someone’s boyfriend cheated on so and so then its all noted on Gossip Girl. Gossip Girl remains anonymous however, she is at the center of everyone’s lives watching and writing on what they do. The teenagers on the show have their entire social lives at watch by Gossip Girl. They are constantly under scrutiny of this anonymous Gossip Girl who is not afraid to release any juicy information about the teenagers. Sicne I am an critical of media I noticed this from the beginning. And, others who I discuss the show really didn’t pick up on the deeper meaning as I did.