#panopticism

Wow. This anime is much darker than those I have watched previously. Starting the first episode, I was not prepared to enter into a world where everyone’s mental health is public knowledge, drones constantly surveil citizens, and a "computer" system determines their fate. Nonetheless, Psycho-Pass was a thrilling watch, full of action, hard truths, and secrecy.

The anime obviously addresses global concerns of protecting peace by any means possible – even if that means limiting freedom. In Japan specifically, the anime reflects anxieties surrounding mental health and knowing ones’ place in society, as well as the increasing need for technology for everyday life. Japan is recognized for having a current lack of mental health care success, with a heavy stigma surrounding it in the country. This anime shows a different Japan, one that is hyper aware of mental health, and the impacts that kind of society has. While currently criticised for not caring enough about mental illness, the anime offers a different critique and warning about the implications that being overly cautious of mental health can have in regards to freedom. In the show, the hue of a person’s mental state determines whether they go to therapy, displaying a society with minimal freedom despite minding the well-being of citizens. Globally, themes of surveillance are extremely prevalent, as almost nothing goes unnoticed nowadays. Cellphones, traffic and dashboard cameras, and other forms of tracking make it nearly impossible to be “off the grid,” a rising concern for privacy in many places. The anime specifically shows this as an area’s “stress level” is monitored, and people who raise the stress are taken out. The anime uses this to further comment on surveillance societies, showing how trust in these technologies can be destroyed if the programs embedded are discovered to be used against the average person, like in the shopping mall scene. This creates a large divide between the people and the computer. Predictive policing is also a major concern in the anime. With constant references to individuals’ “crime coefficients," or their likelihood to commit a crime, people are unwillingly categorized into a group, regardless of whether or not they act on their thoughts. This is a serious concern for freedom, and can be seen in the United States and other countries and is reflected in the anime most directly with the “enforcers.” Even though they are actively working to stop crimes, enforcers are treated like criminals and marked up to be nothing more than “hunting dogs.” Watching the show, I began to question the systems that decided enforcers are criminals, as they seem only to want to help others. But because a system told them who they are, they can only be that person, showing a major flaw in the principle of predictive policing all too often used around the world today.

In my own life, there have been multiple instances where the technology tracking me or sharing my location led me to act differently than I might have without that technology. For example, the app Life360 can track and share your location and speed with family and friends. As my parents require me to have the app downloaded, I am extra careful when driving, because I know I could be punished if they see that I am moving too fast. My actions have been influenced because of this technology, reinforcing the idea of panopticism. Even if my parents are not looking at the app at the time, the simple chance that they are leads me to act in a way where I know I cannot be faulted. This is obviously a step down from what is shown in the anime, but the principle still applies. People know they will likely be caught for raising an area’s stress, or for having criminal thoughts, so they avoid those things entirely. Even though “street scanners” are not realistically everywhere, citizens in the anime know there is a chance they are being scanned, and stay in line. The only time when individuals in the show stop acting in fear of being monitored is when the helmets are discovered. People finally act freely without restricting themselves because the technologies they were afraid of punishing them are rendered useless. The show made me think about the ways I am watched in my life that I don't usually think of. My university can see when I log in with my school email. There are cameras around campus. My car tracks my speed and locations traveled. My cellphone knows my activity, and consequently when I am awake and asleep. If I think about it, the society shown in Psycho-Pass is not too different than the one I live in today.

The kids are alright!