ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the ways these new resource and related forms of power create instability in the hegemonic constellation of resources of social power—be they economic, political, military, and ideological—which, in turn, creates new threats, as well as new opportunities for reform. It describes how to capture theoretically the recent “surveillance scandals” with a short review of the scholarly discussion on scandals, crises, and historical events. A scandal is a transgression of norms, values, or codes that has been kept hidden and when exposed raises offense and damages the reputations of those involved. Surveillance scandals, however, point to possible structural changes in the relationships between powerful social stakeholders, leading in turn to challenges to some of their fundamental underpinnings. The chapter provides an overview of the tensions within and among key institutions of social power with the aim of building an understanding of the complex and at times unpredictable transformations under way.
