In George Orwell’s novel 1984, Big Brother has many methods of controlling the Oceania population. One way to do this is by monitoring every person’s movements. This makes it more difficult for people to live their lives in fear. Although the 1984 surveillance isn’t as severe or extensive today, it still exists. We also monitor our social behavior, trying to avoid portraying ourselves in negative ways. While Big Brother’s 1984 activities are not identical to the government of today, there are some common threads in our daily lives.
Surveillance is an integral part of Big Brother’s control over Oceania’s lives. It was used in 1984. The government is constantly watching over the citizens. They monitor their movements at work, in their homes, and in their bathrooms. Big Brother monitors the citizens to ensure that they are following the rules. The government employs different surveillance techniques to keep citizens in Oceania safe. The main method of surveillance in Oceania is telescreens. These screens hear and see everything and are installed in homes, workplaces, and other areas. Orwell said that Winston would make any sound above a low whisper. Some microphones are hidden in trees and in other places around the country. Thought Police is another tool that can monitor people’s thoughts and actions. They accuse those who behave in a certain way against Big Brother by monitoring their telescreens. They also use children to spy on their parents and report back to the Thought Police any comments they make against Big Brother.
Thought Police connected to any wire as guesswork. It was possible that they could watch everyone at all times. Orwell 5 explains that they could connect to your wire any time they liked.
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Conclusion Generator for the Final EssayThe government monitors your attendance at public events such as Two Minutes Hate. The government considers you suspicious if you don’t show enthusiasm or attend such gatherings. Thoughtcrime involves thinking in ways that are not right for you.
Although we aren’t as closely monitored as those in Oceania, our society is still being watched in many ways by the government. We have internet, computers and smartphones as well as gps thanks to technological advances. The government can easily access our social media accounts, call logs, text logs, location using GPS, and internet history. The government can access your location and know the identity of anyone you are talking to. While many people are comfortable with their privacy and security, the government has many options to find out your whereabouts.
2013 was a year of scandal for the National Security Agency (NSA). According to some reports, they collected phone records from millions Americans. BBC reported that the NSA tapped directly into Yahoo!, Google!, and Facebook servers to monitor and track people’s online communications. Edward Snowden (an ex-CIA agent) leaked the information to alert people about these invasions. The government can now monitor communications much easier thanks to advances in communication. The Patriot Act allows the government to access phone logs to monitor our communications. This is to protect us from terrorist acts. As shown in the NSA Scandal, this access to our communications is misappropriated.
Our government does not use surveillance in the same way as Big Brother, but there are some striking similarities. Oceania uses telescreens, microphones, and other technology to monitor each citizen’s words and movements. The internet is used by our government to monitor our communications. It gives us a false sense that we are secure and private in our daily lives. Even though we live in safety and comfort, our lives are constantly monitored. Although 1984’s world is far more sad than today’s, technological advances have allowed for greater surveillance. Internet has made it easier for private information to be stolen and can allow the government to spy on us all day. We can no longer be anonymous because every movement is controlled like in 1984.
