Demonstration Dynamics at a High-Tech Event. Exploring a High-Stakes Spot of the Demonstration Society

Abstract

This paper analyzes the activities and interactions that took place during a hightech summit held in Jerusalem in 2020, based on ethnographical observations carried out on site. It shows how this high-tech event led to a massive production of public demonstrations – including public demonstrations of technology or “demos” – which served various aims. It unveils some of the material, organizational and cognitive aspects of this demonstrative festival. This study illustrates the ways in which demos and a techno-rhetoric may help support technological promises, contribute to the marketing of technologies, and contribute to economic life. It shows how demos can offer a solutionist view of the world – especially technological solutions – brought to problems made public on demonstrative sites. Thereby, it explores one important component of the demonstration society, related to the very large set of high-tech conferences and fairs organized around the world every year.