威權政治與知識經濟並進下的監視社會發展：以新加坡的網路管制體制為例

「科技民主賦權論」強調網路應用能促進民主社會的發展，然而許多研究已指出：新加坡高度的網路應用並不支持該理論。資訊社會研究者轉而以「監視社會理論」解釋星國網路的高度使用何以未能有效促進該國的民主化，「監視社會理論」對揭示當代資訊社會秩序所點出的「超級電子全景敞視主義」，是解釋新加坡利用網路管制體制的形塑，強化「高度監視社會」基礎的重要論述。威權國家的民主轉型過程，涵蓋政治、經濟、社會、文化與科技等多重面向的變遷動力，網路應用不論是扮演著積極的民主觸媒或威權固權的可能角色，其能動性脫離不了與其它變遷面向的互動，新加坡的案例顯示網路管制與應用仍深深鑲嵌於特定地域的政治、經濟、社會、與歷史文化的形構中。這類文獻的研究成果相當豐碩，但結論多認為威權政治與知識經濟無法並存，星國若要在激烈的全球競爭下求生，政府必須放鬆政治控制，才可望以知識經濟策略求取發展。本文認為從國家發展層次來看新加坡監視社會的進程，其實顯示出星國是以監視社會控制的發展路數，統整其在全球化下威權政治與知識經濟並行的兩難。既有文獻宣稱威權政治與知識經濟無法並存，不僅違逆本身的研究結果，也限制其從更高的抽象層次理解新加坡在近年整合威權政治、知識經濟與監視社會的三合一發展模式之可能性。

Theories of technodemocracy empowerment emphasize the use of Internet in facilitating the development of democracy. However, the surveillance literature questions why the extensive use of Internet in Singapore did not effectively stimulate its democratization. Derived from surveillance society theory, the super-electronic panopticism is applicable to explain the formation of Singapore’s Internet regulatory regime in enforcing a highly developed surveillance society. The Singapore case demonstrates that the regulation and practice of Internet is deeply embedded in the configuration of political, economic, social, historical, and cultural forces. Democratization of an authoritarian regime will depend on the interplay of those dynamics. No matter how the Internet facilitates democratization or enforces authoritarization, this agency alone cannot advance a large-scale and specific development without interacting with other factors as well. There are many contributions in the surveillance literature, however; the mutual exclusion of authoritarian politics and knowledge economy in their conclusion does not reflect the current situation. This paper argues that, to some extent, Singapore’s surveillance society strategy is to integrate authoritarian politics and knowledge economy within the era of globalization. The incompatible interpretation of authoritarian politics and knowledge economy in the existing literature blocks them from understanding the convergence of authoritarian politics, knowledge economy, and surveillance society as Singapore’ survival strategy.