Affiliations: [a] Stirling Management School, University of Stirling,
Stirling, FK9 4LA, Scotland, UK. Tel.: +44 1786 467359; Fax: +44 1786 467329;
E-mail: c.w.r.webster@stir.ac.uk; Website: http://www.management.stir.ac.uk/ | School of Governance, Utrecht University, The Netherlands | Department of Statistics, Trinity College, Ireland | Department of Public Administration, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Abstract: This article reflects on an emerging academic perspective of
Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) which places a consideration
of 'surveillance' at the heart of its analysis. It is argued, that a new
'surveillance perspective' is becoming more prominent and that this perspective
offers new and different insights into comprehending the nature of new and
emergent technologies and their application in governmental and public service
settings. The surveillance perspective offers the potential to provide x-ray
vision, an approach which can be utilised to comprehend and 'shine a light on'
the surveillance implications of ICTs in modern society. In addition, to
providing a fresh look at the implications of the way new ICTs are integrated
into public administration the surveillance perspective allows us to make
different judgements about the desirability, or otherwise, of the use of ICTs
in public administration and society. Here the core argument is that the
surveillance perspective provides a different type of insight, and an
understanding of the use and implications of ICTs which is often missing from
mainstream eGovernment studies. Implicit in this perspective is the view that
our attitudes towards the use and usefulness of ICT applications may be
different if we reflect on the surveillance consequences of their use.
Keywords: Surveillance, informatization, x-ray, public administration, technologically mediated surveillance, public administration as surveillance, a surveillance perspective, surveillance studies, surveillance as x-ray
