Digital Democracies: An Examination of Policing Strategies for a Network Society

• In Event: Emerging Issues in Policing

Abstract

With the emergence of a network society, popular ideologies of space and social interactions have been transcended from public space into cyber space.
Evidently, society is dependent on technology now more than ever. The purpose of this research is to examine the impact online relations have had on policing practices. As social interactions continue to expand in cyber space, there has been a shift from traditional, formal forms of private policing to informal, indirect forms of public policing and instrumental discipline. As a result, informal social controls have been created that perpetuate a constant self-policing culture. Policing is no longer strictly a top-down structure, rather it is a dynamic form of social control that is enforced and experienced by all members of society. Bentham and Foucault’s renditions of the panopticon, Castell’s examination of a network society, and Mann's conception of sousveillance will theoretically inform this paper. The goal of this research is to deconstruct popular policing practices and analyze how policing can be most effective in a digital era.

Author

• Asif Zalfackruddin, University of Guelph