Surveillance Technology of 24 and The Wire

Peter Suderman has an interesting article in The New Atlantis Seeing and Believing. It talks about the surveillance technology shown on the two TV shows 24 and The Wire.

"These differing attitudes manifest themselves in each show’s treatment of surveillance technology. In 24, it appears as abundant, powerful, and chic—the solution to every problem...In particular, CTU’s surveillance capability is virtually without boundaries. No computer security is too difficult to hack; no image too distorted to make scrutable; no location too remote for satellites or surveillance cameras to peer in. Bad guys are forever destroying or encrypting important files only to have CTU technicians handily salvage or decode the relevant sections."

"In contrast to 24’sawe-struck parade of technological glamour, The Wire’s treatment of surveillance technology is dingy and downtrodden—a skeptical vision where greed and apathy drive human action and technology is as flawed as its creators. Its world is mired in self-serving bureaucracy, a tangle of inaccessible systems that exist only to perpetuate their own power. Computers, communication devices, and surveillance equipment are no different: Costly, complex, and imperfect, they are the tools of elites—an integral part of Baltimore’s ongoing turf wars, both on and off the streets."

24 has been fun at times though this season got tedious. The Wire is a great show and if you haven't seen it go get the DVDs for season one; and then two, and three.