We are the Big Norse Brothers of Fire, are we not?

It is widely known that 1984 made accurate predictions of society in many respects, being mentioned most often the manipulation of information or constant surveillance, but have you ever stopped to think what happened to the identity of humans or how humans are manipulated to unconsciously dispose of their identity?

The point where I am trying to get is that in fictional dystopian societies, a ruling entity does whatever necessary to destroy the freedom of individual thought, for the sake of their own purposes and ideals. Do you not think that is similar to what happens today not only in our country, but all around the world in various ways?

Nowadays, techonology has allowed us to become connected to everyone wherever we are, almost without limitations. Security innovations now give us the possibility of controlling security cameras with our phones to prevent criminals from entering our houses. We can instantly contact people from all over the world not only via written means, but also with video. We can share pictures, videos, moments with anyone we want, almost without any restriction.

As time passes,computers, cameras and phones become more and more sophisticated and more powerful, to the point where we can even use only our phones to do almost all our work:  Write and edit text documents, calculations, spreadsheets, slideshows, edit photographs and videos, or develop any framework we can come up with and that can help us get the job done.

But there are some drawbacks, and here I will try to approach my main point. More and more people are becoming accustomed to over-sharing. Few things are left only for ourselves and our close relatives to enjoy. We keep showing the world anything that happens to us: all our trips, all our achievements, what happens to us on a day-to-day basis, and all the things we buy or are given, just for people to see, without really knowing or controlling who sees what. We just want to feel the recognition of our peers, but we are doing it the wrong way. And some can take unfair advantage of this. Anyone can make use of our pictures, our videos, with any purpose in mind.

Do you see now where I am going? In the novel, the Party monitors the people of Oceania 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. There is complete control over what the population does thanks to microphones and the infamous Telescreens:

The telescreen recieved and transmitted simultaneously. Any sound Winston made, above the level of a very low whisper, would be picked up by it; moreover, so long as he remained within the field of vision which the metal plaque commanded, he could be seen as well as heard. There was of course no way of knowing whether you were being watched at any given moment. How often, or on what system, the Thought Police plugged in on any individual wire was guesswork. It was even conceivable that they watched everybody all the time. But at any rate they could plug in your wire whenever the wanted to. 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, 1949)

We know for a fact that different organizations and corporations are keeping track of all our movements and all we do, thanks to our beloved internet. And those archives with personal information will just not stop growing: we keep subscribing to sites and purchasing services online, while we give away important information including ID numbers or bank account information. The amount of data has not stopped increasing since the technologies became accessible to anyone.


And the problem extends even further when we consider our "need for speed". We have forgotten patience and we always want things to arrive right now, the services have to be provided right now. And without exception, unless, of course, I pay more than the person next to me. We are selfish and, in our selfishness, we are no different from anyone else. The vast majority of people alter their internet profiles to look flawless, to appear perfect and be praised for it.
Even though discrimination is slowly decreasing, it usually happens that if you even dare to express yourself online and your opinion differs from the mass's, then you are lapidated and put to shame with no real excuse, just for thinking differently. Do you not think this is similar to the Psychological Manipulation in V for Vendetta or 1984?





What does the future hold for us? Hopefully a better education will make all of us aware that there will be consequences for our actions, both online and in real life, regardless of what we believe in, or what our goal in life is.

Reference:

Orwell, G. (1954) 1984. London: Penguin