The video is titled “The security mirage†by Bruce Schneier. The commentator is a prominent security expert, technologist and author. He describes the duality behind security illustrating the difference between reality and feeling of security. According to him a person can be feeling secure though in the real sense, he is not. On the other hand, he can be secure yet he does not feel it. He uses the video to explain how both concepts diverge in one way and how they also converge in another. The film was released in October 2010 and published in April 2011.
Within the economic context, Bruce suggests that to have security, a person has to trade off something, either in monetary terms, convenience, time among other factors. He adds that most people do not notice when they fail to understand the cost and risks involved in a certain type of security. When this happens, it becomes highly possible to make the wrong trade off and hence the feeling fails to match the reality of security. This explains why people, institutions and governments spend a lot of resources in dealing with news that focus on risk stories while overlooking the more credible risks. His argument is oriented to changing this outline and mentality.
He further explains how science has influenced the way people feel about security. Scientific concepts are disseminated by media and other institutions that command authority in the society and have the ability to define people’s feeling about their security. However, these concepts are limited by availability of resources and technology as well as intelligence. For instance, through science germs can be viewed using a microscope but this is limited by the technology in use.
In addition, people’s feelings about their security within a certain topic changes with time. Before people familiarize themselves with one type of security, they tend to shy away and avoid from getting associated with it. However, as they become familiar with these risks, the fear fades away gradually. For instance, a person who is not conversant with electricity will normally avoid touching electric gadgets or cables. However, the security around electricity change with time as he understands the nature of this physical quantity, how to handle it safely and the risks involved.Â