The purposes and meanings of surveillance: A case study in a shopping mall in Ankara, Turkey

Abstract

The aim of surveillance in the mall environment is to create a safe and secure place for customers, but it may hence work as an exclusionary tool for some. Armada, a shopping mall in Ankara, was chosen as the site for this research, where the purposes and impacts of surveillance related to safety and exclusion were analyzed from the points of view of mall users and staff. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 43 mall users and seven mall personnel. The results indicated that most of the users and staff perceived surveillance in the mall in relation to the security, safety and comfort of potential customers. Exclusion was considered as a probable and unavoidable outcome of surveillance and not challenged by the users. This finding raises the question of surveillance as a mechanism of intolerance against difference and variety in urban life.