The "Spirits" of Terrorism and (Digital) Insecurity in the Global Pandemic Era

Abstract

The Coronavirus pandemic and the anti-contagion restrictions adopted by governments around the world, as well as the strong media representations of the disease and deaths in hospitals have meant for many vulnerable and at risk subjects (the elderly, women, children, immigrants), already victims of violence, an aggravation of their personal problems. Some people have faced a double fear and a double enemy: Covid 19 on the outside and the context of unease and violence in which they live from the inside. According to a United Nations report, the forced quarantine that has forced tens of millions of people into their homes for weeks has caused an increase in abuse and violence against the most vulnerable people. The stress of the quarantine and the uncertainty of losing one's job have also worsened due to the tensions linked to economic uncertainties and the pandemic. The result: increased global tension and insecurity, increased cases of social injustice and the awakening of some forms of symbolic and political violence, also visible in digital environments. The following document will explore some cases mainly related to social and digital (in) security, terrorism in today's health emergency and the idea of a pandemic as a cultural trauma.