It's no surprise that Artemis Fowl—as a book with intelligent, non-human characters—hooks these characters up with advanced tech. It's a classic science fiction move (the aliens always reach us before we reach them) with a twist—instead of using their advanced technology to create a space for themselves in the world, the People use it to hide themselves from surface eyes.
Technology is the only thing fairies really have on the humans… at least until Artemis takes this from them too. It also separates the old from the young, as Haven gets more and more technology-driven and the old "pure magic" enthusiasts are drowned out.
Questions About Technology and Modernization
- Why is it that, even in the fairy world, there's still only one genius guy (or centaur) in control of the whole operating system?
- Why does Artemis have a video system in Fowl Manor that is soeasily hacked by Foaly, when he has every other security gadget possible?
- Are science and gut instinct really incompatible like Rootbelieves?
- If the length of the time-stop and the effects of the bio-bombare modern fairy engineering, how would Artemis know about them by reading that dusty old Book?
Chew on This
Root thinks that technology and innovation are ruining all the magic, but what's really happening is that the People are using science to optimize magic and turn it into a more stable, controlled thing.
The reason Foaly has been able to stay steps ahead of human technology is that he is a combination of both worlds—half human/half horse, mythical but not quite magical. He's able to unify technology and magic in a way that fairies and humans typically can't.