DIGITAL SURVEILLANCE AND ALGORITHMIC POWER: A THEORETICAL READING THROUGH FOUCAULT, WEBER, AND ZUBOFF

Öz

Bu çalışma, Foucault'nun disiplin gücü teorisini, Weber'in rasyonel bürokrasi fikrini ve Zuboff'un gözetim kapitalizmi kavramını uzlaştırarak, dijital gözetim çağı için teorik bir çerçeve sunmaktadır. Tanımlayıcı açıklamaların ötesine geçen çalışma, çağdaş dijital gözetimi, disiplin, bürokratik rasyonellik ve veri odaklı ekonomik süreçlerin kesişim noktasında işleyen bir yönetim biçimi olarak kavramsallaştırmak için "algoritmik güç" kavramını ortaya koymaktadır. Çalışma, yapay zekâ, büyük veri, Nesnelerin İnterneti (IoT), blok zinciri ve dijital ikizler de dahil olmak üzere dijital teknolojilerin yalnızca veri toplama araçları olarak işlev görmekle kalmayıp, aynı zamanda bireysel davranışları tahmin etmede, şekillendirmede ve ekonomik olarak değerlendirmede aktif olarak rol aldığını göstermektedir. Bu bağlamda, Foucault'nun öz disiplin modeli otomatikleştirilmiş algoritmik kontrol biçimlerine dönüşür; Weber'in rasyonelleştirmesi veri odaklı bürokratik yönetime dönüşür ve Zuboff'un gözetim kapitalizmi, davranışsal verilerin metalaştırıldığı ekonomik mantığı sağlar. Klasik sosyal teoriyi çağdaş dijital altyapılarla birleştirerek, bu çalışma, veri odaklı toplumlarda gücün nasıl yeniden yapılandırıldığını anlamak için bütünleşik bir kavramsal bakış açısı sunarak literatüre katkıda bulunmaktadır. Ayrıca, dijital gözetimin işlevsel boyutlarını (verimlilik, güvenlik ve tahmin kapasitesi gibi) ve mahremiyetin aşınması, etik belirsizlik ve bireysel özerkliğin zayıflaması gibi kritik sonuçlarını da incelemektedir

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Dijital gözetim
• yapay zekâ
• dijital panoptisizm
• algoritmik yönetim
• gözetim kapitalizmi

DIGITAL SURVEILLANCE AND ALGORITHMIC POWER: A THEORETICAL READING THROUGH FOUCAULT, WEBER, AND ZUBOFF

Öz

This study offers a theoretical framework for the digital age of surveillance by reconciling Foucault’s theory of disciplinary power, Weber’s idea of rational bureaucracy and Zuboff’s concept of surveillance capitalism. Moving beyond descriptive accounts, the study introduces the concept of “algorithmic power” to conceptualize contemporary digital surveillance as a form of governance operating at the intersection of discipline, bureaucratic rationality, and data-driven economic processes. The study demonstrates that digital technologies, including artificial intelligence, big data, the Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain, and digital twins, not only collect data but also predict, shape, and assign economic value to individual behavior. In this context, Foucault's model of self-discipline transforms into automated algorithmic control; Weber's rationalization transforms into data-driven bureaucratic governance; and Zuboff's surveillance capitalism provides the economic logic that commodifies behavioral data. By combining classical social theory with contemporary digital infrastructures, this study contributes to the literature by offering an integrated conceptual perspective for understanding how power is restructured in data-driven societies. It also examines the functional dimensions of digital surveillance (such as efficiency, security, and predictive capacity) and its critical consequences, including the erosion of privacy, the ethical uncertainty, and the weakening of individual autonomy.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Digital Surveillance
• Artificial Intelligence
• Digital Panopticism
• Algorithmic Management
• Surveillance Capitalism

Kaynakça

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