Empowerment: Analyzing Technologies of Multiple Variable Visibility

This paper notes the emergence of technologies of multiple variable visibility – that is, technologies that render individuals visible to diverse interests simultaneously via the corporate ownership of intimate personal data. Focusing on Facebook, a classic example of technology of this genre, I argue that the various levels of visibility that are facilitated by these technologies cannot and should not be analyzed in isolation from one another. The complex dynamics of power that are mobilized via the strategic employment of multiple visibilities complicates the representation of many surveillance technologies as one-dimensional conduits for empowerment or exploitation. In the context of these technologies, I argue that visibilities (plural) facilitate combined experiences of empowerment and disempowerment, a process that not only speaks to the type of data collection that is enabled through this process but also implies a whole serious of implications specific to their use.

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