The Convergence Project

In Gilles Deleuze’s essay, “Postscript on the Societies of Control,” he talks about a major development in the late 20th century. During this time, societies of control developed, replacing disciplinary societies. Disciplinary societies were most common in the early 20th century. They controlled people by using physical confinement and institutional barriers. In contrast, the society of control uses fluid, ongoing, and digital forms of power. Deleuze emphasises several key traits that define the society of control:

In disciplinary societies, power works through specific enclosure spaces. These include the family, school, barracks, factory, hospital, and prison. People move from one closed system to another, always starting over.

In contrast, a control society is a free-flowing, self-changing system that is continuous and limitless. As Deleuze said, “in disciplinary societies one was always starting again… while in the societies of control one is never finished with anything.”

The stable institutions of the past had entered a generalised crisis. The factory, which was a distinct space with a unified workforce, had been replaced by the corporation.

The factory was a solid body, but the corporation acted like a spirit or gas. It is unstable, constantly changing, and driven by competition, metrics, and “merit.”  Education is no longer just a phase in life. It has moved to lifelong learning, or “perpetual training.” This model continuously tracks, evaluates , and reworks  the individual.

Disciplinary power organised people into groups and tracked them using individual numbers or signatures. Control societies break down people to “dividuals.” This means they become trackable data points, market samples, profiles, and risk categories. Access to spaces, wealth, and opportunities now relies on digital codes, passwords, and algorithms instead of physical keys and barriers.

Deleuze pointed out that each historical era connects to specific types of machinery: The Disciplinary Era: This era relied on heavy machinery and assembly lines. The main risk was sabotage. Control Era: This era relied on computers, information technology, and cybernetic networks. Power comes from tracking mechanisms. Deleuze called this an “electronic collar.” It allows free movement but regulates behaviour and limits access through information flow.

Control societies don’t just use strict rules to manage people. Instead, they capture human desire in subtle ways. Marketing and finance are now key tools for social control. They have taken over from older methods that focused on production. People are no longer just “man confined” in physical institutions. They are “man in debt,” linked to an enormous, hidden economic system. Surveillance and monitoring may seem like personal conveniences, creating a strong illusion of freedom and independence.

If Deleuze’s age was the age of the serpent, corporations, and dividuals, our time is the age of the Parasite, the Algorithm, and the Predictable Subject. We have moved beyond Deleuze’s fluid tracking into a world of preemptive capture. The system no longer tracks you as a moving target. Instead, it digs into your psychological makeup to map, expect, and preempt your choices.

In our age, AI doesn’t just surround you; it feeds on your inner feelings. It needs your heartbeat, how long you look at things, and your worries to thrive and improve. It offers a simple trade: “I’ll manage your life if you share your data.” Deleuze pointed out that the “Corporation” replaced the factory, treating everything as a business metric. Now, corporations have grown into Ecosystems. Closed-loop digital worlds, such as Apple, Google, Instagram, and Facebook, are all connected in one AI framework. You never have to leave.

In our age, you don’t just work for a corporation; you live within it. It handles your home automation, medical care, entertainment, and social standing.

Deleuze’s dividual was a person split into data points, like a credit score or a fingerprint. Today, those points have turned into a digital twin. It’s an algorithmic ghost that the system thinks is the real you.

In our age, systems don’t engage with you; they engage with your predictive model.