In the aftermath of the US-led ‘global war on terror’, emerging weaponised media of warfare present new means for the military ‘policing’ of populations. Algorithmic modes of observation are applied for the identification of targets, presenting an ‘aerial view’ that is no longer confined to optical media alone, but seeks out the criminogenic patterns and schemas that arise from human populations, or rather their double – the data masses. This article is concerned with the role of the emerging media function of militarised ‘pattern-of-life analysis’ in producing a specific perception of the mass that connects with older notions of masses and populations, as well as with a discourse on the changing nature of warfare. In what ways do the emerging media of observation and targeting of drone warfare contribute to the formation of new relations of visibility, and what does it mean for these media to become ‘weaponised’?
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