Positive Sociology

The George Zimmerman trial has challenged some of my beliefs about surveillance in the 21 st century.   On one hand, I’m like many of you and feel that the NSA, CIA, and other governmental institutions have far too much access to our private lives.   I also catch myself feeling the panoptical gaze of friends, co-workers, and random people on Facebook and other social media. In my personal dealings, I usually lament the disappearance of privacy.   Christina Nippert-Eng’s insights in Islands of Privacy are both timely and right on the money.      But, the George Zimmerman trial raises interesting questions about how crime fighting might be better with better surveillance technologies.    What if we had the shooting on video?  Would this case already be closed? Most of the state’s case against Zimmerman has been built on witness testimony.  In addition to having Rachel Jenteal take the stand and testify that Trayvon was being stalked by Zimmerman, the state has called Trayv