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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Technology and Terror

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The present chapter discusses to what extent rationality plays a leading role not only in forming a culture of fear in western societies, but paves the ways for undemocratic attitudes and reactions. Our founding parents envisaged a world where progress, rationality, and technology played a vital role in building a better place to live. They never imagined the effects of 9/11 nor the financial market and stock crisis in 2008. The rise of uncertainty as a main cultural value of contemporary society raised the question of how much technology facilitated the evolution towards a more pacific, fairer, and safer world. We have witnessed how 9/11 strengthened a process of securitization where high technology was used to surveille citizens, accompanied by ethical dilemmas as illustrated by the Edward Snowden case. David Lyon (2003) points to the public spaces of airports, city squares, and restaurants which are monitored by digital cameras and biometric technology. Securitization has reinforced authorities' trust in technology while terrorist attacks continue across the globe.