操纵恐惧——论“监控社会”的扩张机理

The Manipulation of Fear: A Social Psychological Analysis of the Expansion of Surveillance Society

"监控社会"的不断扩张已经成为一个世界性现象,其社会心理根源在于政府、市场和媒体三方联合操纵民众的恐惧情绪。其中,政府把民众的忧虑从系统性风险转移到恐怖主义和犯罪行为上,通过"转移恐惧"巩固了政治合法性;市场通过"夸大危险"和形塑"孤立的个人"来"塑造无能感",进而催生了日益增长的监控产品需求;媒体则通过刻画"可见又不可辨的他者"形象来"制造危险",从而吸引受众的眼球。但是,通过监控来缓解恐惧绝非治本之策,因为它最多只不过是一笔不划算的"恐惧交换",即用人们对监控者的恐惧(人造恐惧)取代人们对他者、对危险的恐惧(自然恐惧)。

The increasing expansion of surveillance society has been a worldwide phenomenon, and its fundamental social psychological source is that government, market and media together manipulate people＇s emotion of fear. Government shifts people＇s attention from systematical risk to terrorism and criminal behavior, and by doing so it consolidates its political legitimacy through ＂shifting of fear＂. Market shapes people＇s sense of powerlessness through ＂exaggerating the danger＂ and moldings isolated individual so as to spur the strong growth of demanding to the surveillance products. Media creates dangers through portraying the image of ＂visible but un-distinguishable others＂ in order to catch the eye of target audience. However, using surveillance technology to ease fear cannot solve the problem thoroughly because it is not a cost-effective ＂exchange of fear＂, that is, to use ＂the fear to the supervisor＂（manmade fear） to replace ＂the fear to others and to danger＂（natural fear）.