1984 Technology Essay

“BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU”(Orwell 2), is a saying that surrounds society in the classic novel 1984. The author, George Orwell provides his audience with an abundant amount of themes throughout his writing. One very prominent one is Orwell’s psychological manipulation of his characters. As characters within this society are constantly surrounded by sayings such as, “WAR IS PEACE”, “FREEDOM IS SLAVERY”, and “IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH”(Orwell 4), Orwell shows the ultimate type of control within his characters. Orwell is able to achieve such psychological manipulation in his characters through physical control and the abundance of technology. Without Orwell’s use of telescreens, his characters would be able to have their

1984, a novel by George Orwell, represents a dystopian society in which the people of Oceania are surveilled by the government almost all the time and have no freedoms. Today, citizens of the United States and other countries are watched in a similar way. Though different technological and personal ways of keeping watch on society than 1984, today’s government is also able to monitor most aspects of the people’s life. 1984 might be a dystopian society, but today’s condition seems to be moving towards that controlling state, where the citizens are surveilled by the government at all times.

George Orwell’s novel 1984 reflects on the society of dystopian city Airstrip 1 where main character Winston Smith lives. Along with the many other citizens, Winston is controlled by the Inner Party by constantly being monitored via telescreens that keep sight of everybody and their actions. Besides using telescreens the government also easily arrests people in any case of “thoughtcrime” which consists of any thoughts that regard disobedience towards the government. Thoughtcrime and telescreens are two of the several factors that reflect the extreme surveillance in 1984. Orwell uses surveillance as the central theme of the novel to spread his idea that the usage of more extreme surveillance could eventually lead to a totalitarian society. On a less extreme scale, today’s society also has a significant amount of surveillance but many question whether or not more surveillance is necessary. With the many current text sources, it is certain that we need less surveillance in order to keep a stable society that does not take away the individualism of people.

“Government exists to protect us from each other. Where government has gone beyond its limits is in deciding to protect us from ourselves”(Reagan). In the book, 1984, Winston recognizes the power the government has over the citizens of Oceania. The citizens lack privacy from the government. George Orwell warns society about a government with total control in 1984. Based on Dana Hawkin’s article, “Cheap Video Cameras Are Monitoring Our Every Move”, as well as Beech Etal’s, “The Other Side of the Great Firewall”, society may truly have something to fear in the form of surveillance and information manipulation.

By using the telescreen, a surveillance device located in the homes of all Party members, the Thought Police are able to keep everyone under scrutiny. Winston says, “You had to live-did live, from habit that became instinct -in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard, and except in darkness, every movement scrutinized” (Orwell, 3). This quotation shows how the intense observation efforts stifle the actions and thoughts of the people in Oceania. An essential component of being human is the ability to communicate freely. Communication has fostered developments in mathematics, literature, science, and every field of learning. The Party deprives their citizens of the human spirit of education by preventing uninhibited conversation. Stephen Ingle’s essay from The Abuse of Power in 1984 reads, “This lack of distinction between a private and public realm is precisely what gives life in Oceania its nightmare quality. Nobody has the recourse to a private world in which he or she may regain self esteem or attempt to control even the smallest part of their destiny: there is no escape from Big Brother” (_______, ____). This excerpt reveals that constant surveillance removes a portion of humanity. Humans need to have havens of refuge where they can lower their defenses against the outside world and have the safety to think and act as they wish. Of course there is the

Attention Getter: As the George Orwell writes in his book 1984, “Big Brother is watching you.”

Today the world relies on technology and so does the government. The politics has the ability to hack and see through our private information at any give time. It gives the government limitless access to the network. The authority has so many ways on hacking devices and have smart hackers find a “backdoor” to it. I think the government shouldn’t have this kind of people to look through our information or anybody at all.

Today technology is a normal part of life, but what if the technology was being used to spy on the user's? In the fictional novel, 1984, by George Orwell, that is only purpose of technology. Throughout the book, the reader will follow Winston, a 39 year old male filled with rebellion, begin his adventure against The Party and Big Brother. He is constantly trying to rebel but is limited by the technology. The technology that seems so normal to everyone else. The technology in this book is a tool that is used by Big Brother to keep an eye on the citizens, which affects them in ways they don’t know, which in the end is very detrimental to the society.

The book 1984 depicts a society unimaginable to most; however, a further look shows us that we actually do live in an Orwellian society. Orwell describes a country called Oceania made of multiple continents which is ruled by the dictatorial “Big Brother” who uses different systems like the “thought police” and “telescreens” in order to have full control over the country. Our democratic government, through organizations such as the NSA and NGI, can look through our most private conversations and moments using spyware. Due to the secrecy of the government, citizens in 1984, as well as those in our society, fear the government.

Nineteen eighty-four. Published in 1949, a novel containing the main character, Winston Smith and his everyday struggle to survive in a totalitarian government. In the novel, George Orwell describes the atmosphere of London, England using 3rd person limited. One of the ways he vividly describes the atmosphere of the current time is through the use of technology. The government managed to manipulate London’s population through technologies such as, telescreens, cameras, microphones, and the “thought police”. When writing the book, George Orwell’s perspective on technology was way beyond his decade. He envisioned technology to a highly advanced level which may have been nonexistent then, but now is reality. The unexpected effect technology

Big Brother is watching you, Long Beach: New Police Surveillance System Unveiled I did a little of research about this and it is terrifyingly similar it is in the book and the main Idea of this essay, a little bit of background info about the article; The police in Long Beach California have decided they should instal over 400 cameras all around the city. Now doesn’t that sound familiar to a particular book we have read this year? Exactly the book George Orwell wrote 1984 and here’s evidence to prove this has similarities to the book, now the author contends “A new system linking 400 cameras citywide-both publicly and privately. The live feeds are broadcast on a bank of bug screen monitoring at one end of the Police Department.” (Lloyd 2012) Doesn’t that sound like the thought police are watching them? Just like the book where the citizen of Oceania is constantly being watched; Another evidence that support my thesis is that the police there also want a greater good for their city just like the main point I chose for the essay, the author states that “it will improve the community safety and change the way the Long Beach Police responds to crime.” (Lloyd

The government in 1984 maintains power by using constant surveillance and suppression of citizens. Unlike the modern era, all citizens know they are being watched and are cautious about their actions. Winston says of the telescreen, the Party’s method of espionage: “Any sound that Winston made, above the level of a very low whisper, would be picked up by it [the telescreen], moreover, so long as he remained within the field of vision which the metal plaque commanded, he could be seen as well as

Edward Snowden, a traitor in the past and hero in the present, once said: “I can't in good conscience allow the U.S. government to destroy privacy, internet freedom and basic liberties for people around the world with this massive surveillance machine they're secretly building”. The mass surveillance and data collecting done by the government exposed by Snowden in 2013 has stirred up discussion in the public about the government, technology, and privacy. The amount of control and power achievable using technology can be seen in George Orwell’s novel 1984. The mass use of technology is detrimental to the society in 1984 because it enabled the government too much control over an individual's access to communication, emotions, and actions; ultimately, the totalitarian rule over society using technology has made it

The Party naturalizes the dominance that it has in the way that it constantly conducts surveillance on its members. Through the use of devices called telescreens, the government is able to observe every movement and sound made in the homes of members, on the streets of Oceania, and in the workplace. These telescreens act as modern day webcams and make the government privy to all things going on in the city. The footage transmitted from these screens is monitored by the Thought Police, and it is this government body that determines whether or not one is guilty of a crime. Since the members of the Party are so accustomed to being constantly

New technology is something that changes culture and society in general as it is developed and becomes more applicable. Today, American culture has practically morphed around new developments in technology with anticipation for the next big cell phone update or the newest high definition standard for televisions. However, the effects of technology in America from a century ago were more revolutionary in the way politics and religion were practiced and spread. The way in which sermons could be broadcast over radio or television was a major step to how the Judeo-Christian country could spread beliefs and theology. The development of the automobile allowed American business and politics to reach and interact with all corners of the country. There are plenty more examples of how twentieth century technology effects American religion and culture, but the main one that affects more American opinions with respect to religion and politics is broadcasting. In addition to such technology, patriotism along with the fear of communism was also a leading contributor to the influence on American minds in the twentieth century. The technology of broadcasting along with the movement against communism were used as some of the major tools to convey and pursue religious and political opinions during the Cold War and the civil rights movement. Therefore, a proper investigation of such technology and patriotism and their touch on twentieth century America is necessary to enlighten and present