FREEDOM IS JUST AN ILLUSION
In 1990, the French philosopher Gilles Deleuze wrote a short but powerful essay on the concept of a “control society” — an idea that helps us better understand modern forms of power and manipulation. According to Deleuze, a control society is one in which power is no longer exercised merely through physical institutions like schools, prisons, or hospitals (as Michel Foucault described), but rather through the constant and subtle adjustment of our behavior and thoughts.
In a disciplinary society, you are physically controlled: you are confined, educated, or punished within closed institutions. In a control society, however, the control is much more mental. It happens imperceptibly, through a continuous stream of information, technology, and media messages that influence your behavior and choices. Control does not always feel intrusive — on the contrary, it often gives the illusion of freedom and autonomy.
Technology plays a major role in this. Social media algorithms, for example, constantly adapt to your preferences and habits, offering you content you are likely to enjoy. Yet this “personalized” experience is a form of soft control: it directs your attention, shapes your opinions, and determines which worldviews you are exposed to.
Deleuze’s insights show that today, power operates less through direct coercion and more through subtle, ongoing influence. We are thus living in an era where control is smoother, smarter, and often invisible — a true control society in which we feel free, but are still, in many ways, being guided.
“The most effective form of control is the one that makes you believe you are free.”