Technological Expectations and Global Politics: Three Waves of Enthusiasm in NonGovernmental Remote Sensing

Abstract

Media, industry, and academia frequently depict the commercialization of satellite imagery as geospatial revolution with transformational effects on global politics. In doing so, they follow an understanding that isolates technology from politics. While this division is still prevalent in international relations, recent scholarship has promoted the intricate relationship of technology with politics as socio-material. Adding to this literature, I draw on the sociology of expectations to propose an alternative reading of nongovernmental remote sensing. For this purpose, the notion of technopolitical barriers is introduced to trace controversies about technological expectations of satellite imagery. Based on expert interviews and document analysis, I identify three waves of enthusiasm, which are characterized by particularly salient expectations and techno-political barriers. The first wave is fueled by an enthusiasm about the general benefits of visual transparency as opposed to Cold War secrecy. The second wave turns toward nongovernmental imagery intelligence for human security. In the third wave, satellite imagery joins multiple data streams to support political and business decisions. Taken together, the three-wave model distorts the linear understanding of a revolutionary development but reveals the political and controversial nature of the ongoing commercialization of satellite imagery. As a part of this, nongovernmental remote sensing has experienced a focus shift from visual transparency toward geospatial big data. Moreover, the three-wave model highlights the persistence of expectations and techno-political barriers in the nongovernmental sector with important implications for policymaking and the global impact of commercial satellite imagery.