1984 – Technology in Todays Soceity

Not many people are fans of being excessively supervised and observed. From an 11 year old boy being observed in the park by his grandparents, to a student sitting in class being observed by the teacher during examination. Knowing that you are constantly under surveillance can be very intimidating. Right through history, the intensity of government regulations have altered from low down to sky-scraping. The novel 1984, written by George Orwell consistent of a very dictatorial government.

In this fictional commentary novel, George Orwell predicts the future where technology and the power given to the government will reduce privacy in everyone’s day to day life. Today’s society is majorly impacted by the rapid development of technology; in the novel George Orwell had used technology as an example of lack of privacy. To begin with, our advanced technology has reached such an extent that it is very straightforward for the government to figure out everything about us from our past including, our previous vacation, were we live, where we attended school or even last time we made a purchase through our debit or credit.

To gain access into a person’s life the government has issued every citizen a social insurance number, this card contains a person’s entire record of everything that they have done in the country. This is related to what George Orwell had expressed in his novel, the government in the novel is being referred to the big brother. In the novel the big brother kept watch over every step that was done by the humans, there was even a sign which said “big brother is watching you,” this is the same as our government now since most things we do are being watched or even listened to.

Another example of this would be the use of telescreens in the novel. The telescreens previewed everybody’s room in the building; therefore if any movement or discussion going on will not be private, “Any sound Winston made, above the level of a very low whisper, would be picked up by it”. This is now similar to today’s surveillance cameras; although this novel was written in 1948 the first surveillance camera had been invented in 1965. Since then the world had become more advanced than ever before. Cameras are now put up almost everywhere in; business offices, convenience store, apartment buildings, intersections, even all age schools.

In the novel the author essentially points out that the future will hold no privacy and telescreens. phone calls, emails, texting are examples of telescreens since they can be accessed by the government authorities anytime. In conclusion, the novel 1984, is a fiction although what George Orwell tried illustrating was us humans are going head over heel with technology which is giving the government power. Some events that occurred in his novel have actually accrued and while he was writing this novel it was all a prediction for the future because some things he mentioned did not exist in that time period.