For this part of the lectures we are going to use each of the four perspectives we have learned to look at the issue of deviance.
The postmodern perspective on deviance examines the intertwining nature of knowledge, power, and technology on social control and discipline.
Technology has certainly changed the face of crime (and the criminal justice system).
Technology and the ability for those in power to "keep an eye on us" has been a concern to many lately. Consider all the ways in which we engage with technology that can be tracked and tabulatedÉwe use ATM's, we log into computer systems, we write checks, we scan our cards at the grocery store, etc. etc.
Personally, I'm not as concerned as some about the use of technology by the governmentÉthe amount of information they would have to weed through to find out which magazines I buy is insurmountableÉfor now!
The recent legislation of the Patriot Act has seen a relaxing in the laws that protect individual privacy in terms of electronic communication. As states themselves begin to look at this law, I expect there will be a number of challenges to its unbridled access to our records, even for the investigation of terrorism.