>[!abstract] >Sousveillance, a term coined by Steve Mann, refers to the practice of monitoring or recording from below, where individuals use personal devices (like smartphones or wearables) to observe those in authority or each other. Unlike surveillance, which is top-down oversight by institutions, sousveillance is bottom-up, often serving as a tool for accountability, resistance, or transparency—such as citizens filming police misconduct. It highlights the democratization of observation in the digital age, where widespread access to recording technologies shifts power dynamics and challenges traditional asymmetries of visibility and control. >[!related] >- **North** (upstream): [[Surveillance studies]] >- **West** (similar): [[Synopticon]] >- **East** (different): [[Panopticon]] >- **South** (downstream): [[Citizen journalism]]