I’ve been toying with the idea that airports offer a view into what the U.S. could look like in the future. There are a lot of trends that have emerged in this country that I believe are in full force in airports. This is a list of what I’ve been thinking.
- A security apparatus, justified by the constant threat of terrorism.
- Very tight controls on who comes in, and what you can possess.
- Clearly biased against minorities
- Constant presence of military (travel in uniform, priority boarding for those in active duty)
- Constant reminder of the threats the country faces (CNN on every screen)
- Social stratifications (passengers, first class, business class, fast food restaurant employees, janitors, security)
- Passengers are divided by class (boarding order, rewards membership, first class, economy class)
- Visible class and race division between passengers and airport/shops/restaurant employees
- Lack of options, favors large corporations (food, stores, wifi)
- Limited space, high barrier of entry for vendors (I think, would like to look into this more)
- One or two WiFi providers (who also profit off your data)
- Ok, this one requires more thought, but I think I’m onto something here
- Constant surveillance
- By video with cameras, and your data from WiFi providers
- ID required at different checkpoints
- Only airport (state) approved behavior
- Low tolerance of misbehavior, breaking of rules
- No protests, no space for dissent, no civil disobedience
Much of this is aided by the use of technology. There is an entire chapter devoted to airports as “coded spaces” in “Code/Space” by Rob Kitchin and Martin Dodge. The chapter is meant to illustrate how software transforms and often defines a space, but it also provides a good list of ways in which technology affords more control over people and objects in an airport. Control of the type which any state would love to have.
