Journals / Çalışma ve Toplum / 2026 / Cilt: 3 Sayı: 90

The Ontology of Surveillance and the Practice of Management: The Effects of the Digital Panopticon on Organization

Gözetimin Ontolojisi ve Yönetimin Pratiği: Dijital Panoptikonun İşletme Üzerindeki Etkileri

Pınar Sarp(İSTANBUL KÜLTÜR ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0000-0003-3022-5182
Pages
1519–1546
Publication Date
2026-07-28
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

It thus provides a theoretical basis for future research.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

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Objective & Hypothesis:This study examines how log-based employee monitoring transforms modern labor control within the framework of the digital panopticon.
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Key Findings & Data:This transformation occurs through the objectification and visibility of employee behaviors, the classification and comparison of performance, and the growing role of algorithmic authority and predictive control in decision-making processes.
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Conclusion & Impact:It thus provides a theoretical basis for future research.
🔬Design:Araştırma Makalesi
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:Dijital Panoptikon · Çalışan İzleme Sistemleri · Algoritmik Yönetim

Abstract

This study examines how log-based employee monitoring transforms modern labor control within the framework of the digital panopticon. With digitalization, work processes have become visible and measurable, evolving into an algorithmically managed structure in which employees are not only producers of labor but also continuous generators of data. Based on a synthesis of the literature, this conceptual analysis shows that digital surveillance reshapes organizational behavior in multiple ways. This transformation occurs through the objectification and visibility of employee behaviors, the classification and comparison of performance, and the growing role of algorithmic authority and predictive control in decision-making processes. As a result, algorithmic management produces psychosocial effects such as technostress, evaluation anxiety, and loss of control, while weakening organizational trust, relational capital, and organizational citizenship behaviors. In this context, the digital panopticon reduces performance evaluation to observable metrics and establishes a data-driven control regime. The study conceptualizes digital surveillance through a process–mechanism–outcome framework, integrating fragmented literature and highlighting the need to address its ethical, legal, and governance dimensions. It thus provides a theoretical basis for future research.

Özet

Bu çalışma, dijital panoptikon çerçevesinde log tabanlı çalışan izlemenin modern emek denetimini nasıl dönüştürdüğünü incelemektedir. Dijitalleşmeyle birlikte çalışma süreçleri görünür ve ölçülebilir hale gelmiş, algoritmik olarak yönetilen bir yapıya evrilmiş; çalışanlar yalnızca emek üreten değil, aynı zamanda sürekli veri sağlayan öznelere dönüşmüştür. Literatür sentezine dayalı bu kavramsal analiz, dijital gözetimin örgütsel davranışı çok boyutlu biçimde yeniden yapılandırdığını göstermektedir. Bu dönüşüm; çalışan davranışlarının nesneleşmesi ve sürekli görünür hale gelmesi, performansın kategorik olarak sınıflandırılması ve göreli biçimde kıyaslanması ile algoritmik otorite ve öngörüye dayalı kontrol mekanizmalarının karar süreçlerinde belirleyici hale gelmesi üzerinden gerçekleşmektedir. Bu yapısal dönüşümün bir sonucu olarak, algoritmik yönetim çalışanlarda teknostres, değerlendirilme kaygısı ve kontrol kaybı gibi psikososyal etkiler üretirken; örgütsel güveni, ilişkisel sermayeyi ve örgütsel vatandaşlık davranışlarını zayıflatmaktadır. Bu bağlamda, dijital panoptikon performans değerlendirmeyi görünür metriklere indirgerken emeği veri temelli bir mantık doğrultusunda yeniden yapılandıran bir kontrol rejimi ortaya koymaktadır. Bu çerçeveden hareketle, çalışma dijital gözetimi süreç–mekanizma–çıktı ilişkisi içinde ele alarak literatürdeki parçalı yaklaşımları bütüncül bir çerçevede birleştirmekte ve dijital gözetim uygulamalarının etik, hukuki ve yönetişim boyutlarının birlikte değerlendirilmesi gerektiğini vurgulamaktadır. Bu yönüyle, gelecekteki araştırmalar için teorik bir temel sunmaktadır.

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Cite This Article

Sarp, P. (2026). The Ontology of Surveillance and the Practice of Management: The Effects of the Digital Panopticon on Organization. Çalışma ve Toplum, Cilt: 3 Sayı: 90, 1519–1546. https://doi.org/10.54752/ct.1837677

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