To “jump the shark” is a symbol for when a phenomenon (usually a TV show) reaches its apex and begin declining in quality. It’s named after a famous “Happy Days” episode where Fonzie gets on a water skis and actually jumps over a shark. Though usually directed at artistic media, the phrase sometimes resonates with other cultural or political ideas.
One has to wonder if cybersecurity has jumped the shark. Not that it is going to decrease in importance, far from it. But you have to wonder, when the idea becomes so commonplace that they actually make a TV show out of it. I’m talking about CSI: Cyber, coming this Spring, with Patricia Arquette and Luke Perry. If the trailer is any indication, those of us who work in the field will hate the show. Here’s a description:
“CSI: Cyber” stars Emmy Award winner Patricia Arquette in a drama inspired by the advanced technological work of real-life CyberPsychologist Mary Aiken. Special Agent Avery Ryan (Arquette) heads the Cyber Crime Division of the FBI, a unit at the forefront of solving illegal activities that start in the mind, live online, and play out in the real world. She also knows firsthand how today’s technology allows people to hide in the shadows of the Internet and commit serious crimes of global proportion. While other agents search for criminals in dark homes and alleys, Ryan searches the “dark net,” a place deep in the bowels of the Web where criminals are anonymous, money is untraceable and where everything is for sale with just a keystroke.