About the Ludopticon

The Ludopticon is a combination of the word Ludus (Latin for “play”) and the Panopticon, a surveillance structure by Jeremy Bentham whereby prisoners would behave under the feeling that they were always being watched (even if that were not the case).

However, while the Panopticon operates under the fear of being watched, the Ludopticon operates on the fear of being ignored. People now yearn to be seen and perceived by others, but for a great reward. Social media platforms, brands and algorithms reward us for making ourselves watchable, marketable and traceable. We once fought for the right to be forgotten, now we fight for the right to be remembered.

The attention economy has now transformed into the attention casino. Each offering of data is a bargaining chip with the algorithm for access–giving the user the chance at visibility or virality, which translates to success. Not only this, but this sets a precedent to reach for each time. As the physical blurs with the digital, as does the personal with the private. Numbers of engagement quickly become markers of value: it can be the difference between being chosen for a job or commercial opportunity.

Through proximity, we are always playing. We are always in the frame of someone’s background, connected by degrees of separation to a big player. Even when we no longer exist in the physical space, our data lives on in the aether of the Ludopticon– traces of our voice, pictures of our face, likes and dislikes.

We can close the laptop lid, shut off the phone and delete social media platforms. However, the internet moves on as fast as it latches on. With all that can be won in terms of financial stability, commercial success, a visible platform or even a lifeline–can you afford to stop playing?

I’m Dr Suzie.EXE, a chronically online explorer of digital and existential realms. My PhD was in staging Science Fiction Theatre, which increasingly feels like our lives in the "real world" today.

I coined the term Ludopticon to describe the gamified self-surveillance systems we now exist within. My research explores digital performance, surveillance capitalism, simulation theory and the hyperreal: all facets of the Ludopticon itself.