Close to trillion dollars a day changes hands globally in foreign exchange transactions. Only 15 percent corresponds to actual commodities or capital. The incredible speed of the New York stock Exchange’s superdot electronic order routing system means that the Dow Jones can swing back and forth by more that 50 points in a matter of minutes. Bringing about a condition known as “ data panic:’ a feeling of insecurity and anxiety that engulfs every transfer of digital information, from international trade to electronic banking.

Data Panic is a subtle satirical critique of the unbounded euphoria, which often surrounds the marketing of new technology and the ideology of globalisation.