Big Brother Is Always Watching George Orwell Essay

638 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: George orwell dystopian society

“Big Brother is Always Watching” stains the people of Oceania. The novel written by George Orwell, 1984, is based on the theory of how “Big Brother” is always watching you. In the book, the Oceania government controls their citizens by saying and ordering them into not doing certain things. He would utilize surveillance together with his armies to watch the people to ensure loyalty. That may seem far fetched and unrealistic, however nowadays there are ways for our government to do over and above what Big Brother was doing. Technology is taking everybody closer to the world of Big Brother due to surveillance cameras and cell phones. This is a problem and it requires immediate attention.
Throughout 1984, the use of telescreens is incredibly efficient and effective for the Party. On the other hand, it plays a crucial role on our main character, …show more content…

Studies show that over ninety percent of people own a cell phone. In the past ten years, cell phones have become incredibly advanced; they’re basically pocket sized computers. These pocket sized computers are actually “tracking devices that happen to make calls”(Maass 1, page 129). An iPhone has numerous amounts of abilities. It can take professional photos, it has touch ID, along with the ability to send one’s current location. That all seems fabulously nifty and intelligent, yet no one thinks about what this truly means. If a phone can send one’s current location from any place on earth, that “phone” is nothing less bounteous than a tracking device. “These devices take note of what we buy, when and where we buy it, how much money we have in the bank, whom we text and email, what websites we visit, how and where we travel, what time we go to sleep and wake up…”(Maass 2, page 129) and numerous additional capabilities that doesn’t cross anyone’s mind. It’s ridiculous the power these helpful gadgets

Show More
Related

  • Takeover of Technology in 1984 by George Orewell

    628 Words  | 2 Pages

    For example, telescreens were placed in every house, the telescreen existed hence The Party can observe an individuals each and every move. The purpose of telescreens are to improve the safekeeping of every person for the reason that it helps The Party catch criminals but that is not the case, the telescreens existed morally to situate the general public to do as they are told with the knowledge they could not escape surveillance. Another use for these telescreens are propaganda, propaganda is frequently publicized on the two-way telescreens, commonly about terrorism from Eurasia and Eastasia. Telescreens cannot be turned off, in a way they resemble personal computers, and many people just leave them on most of time. We might want to compare the telescreen to a television but our televisions do not necessarily spy on us, I would compare the telescreen more to computers and laptops because they have built in cameras. Many people can hack into these cameras and simply watch what one is doing.

    Read More

  • Big Brother in George Orwell's Novel 1984 and All Around Us

    1261 Words  | 3 Pages

    According to the Oxford Dictionary, Big Brother is “A person or organization exercising total control over people's lives.” Not only is Big Brother featured in George Orwell's 1984 novel, the concept of a “Big Brother” is also seen everywhere around us in our everyday lives. Our modern-day form of Big Brother is our own government and the way it keeps surveillance over us. The way the United States and many other modern-day countries govern these days, with all their new advanced technology, we citizens are never truly alone. Our every move is constantly being watched.

    Read More

  • The Fear Of Conformity In George Orwell's Big Brother

    743 Words  | 2 Pages

    Your home alone in your bed, the T.V. playing in the background and sleep has its grip on you. As you feel your eyes start to fall something else has its eyes on you, Big Brother. For the people in 1984 this is how every night ends, and every day begins. You would think being watched everyday would drive one mad but not for this society. They have all been conditioned to think this is a normal way of life, and to question is as bad as thought itself. To grow up and always have eyes watching your every move, ears listening to your every word, and unknown figures lurking in the night. Ready at a moments notice to erase your very existence if you dare question the nature of your reality not brought to you by Big Brother himself. All of this surveillance

    Read More

  • Achizophrenic Life In George Orwell's Novel 1984 By George Orwell

    1015 Words  | 3 Pages

    George Orwell’s novel 1984 tells a grueling story about the country of Oceania and the mindless community that serves the government. The country is controlled by a party that follows the rules of the totalitarian government known as Ingsoc. The party has created a fictional figure known as Big Brother and posted his picture everywhere in the country with a slogan “Big Brother Is Watching You” (Orwell 2). The laws of the Oceania are very elaborate. They have control over all aspects of the prole’s lives, including their children, the way that they think through the language that they speak, their facial expressions and even their intimate relationships. Overall the government has created a society of walking robots with

    Read More

  • Examples Of Big Brother Control In The Book 1984

    1484 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the book, the thought police are a secret group of people in the society, the people of the society are not sure who is apart of the group. It could be a co-worker or a neighbour, the goal of the thought police is to take out people in the society who hate Big Brother or the party. While, “Children are encouraged to turn their parent into the Thought Police.” (Mcclinton- Temple) and neighbours are also encouraged to also do the same. The party wants to eliminate anyone who is against them, even if it means children turning their parents into the thought police. Telescreens help the thought police, “These permit Thought police to observe all citizens to see that they are responding in a desirable manner—hating enemies and loving Big Brother. ("1984." Novels for Students.)”. The telescreens are key because the thought police are able to prosecute anyone who hates big brother or the party. The crimes committed are known as thought crimes, and “People have to be made to disappear too if they commit thought crimes, which the thought police are to control. (Davis)”. Speaking out against big brother or just doing anything that the thought police could are not fond of could be a thought crime and be prosecuted for it. “Dissension and rebellion are not permitted, and those who speak against the government and the Party are branded as traitors

    Read More

  • 1984 Big Brother Is Watching You

    1151 Words  | 3 Pages

    At first, we do not think, nor contemplate the effects that come as a result of our actions. In 1984, we get a sense of a greater authority in Big Brother. Although we never know if Big Brother actually exists, the power and authority that this idol holds over the people is unimaginable. The people of Oceania are divided into two classes, the members of the Party and the proletariat. The Party members are like machines that do the jobs of the government.

    Read More

  • An Analysis of Cell Phone Technology, Security, and Individual Rights

    1050 Words  | 3 Pages

    In this technology driven era, I question what effect cell phones are having on our lives as American citizens? To investigate this, I read two articles. The first reading was “Mobile Phone Tracking Scrutinized” by Nikki Swartz originally published in the Information Management Journal for March/April 2006, and the second reading was “Reach out and Track Someone” by Terry J. Allen, originally published by In These Times on May 15, 2006. In her article, Swartz questions the legality of using a cell phone’s GPS system as a tracking device in situations when crimes are involved. She argues the potential violation of Fourth Amendment rights and describes loopholes our government avoids when the data is as a surveillance device. In her article, “Reach Out and Track Someone”, Allen shows the conspiracy theorist’s view of cell phone data tracking use. She suggests the government uses of warrantless wiretapping, and argues the communications companies and government have been involved in questionable activities (p1). Swartz and Allen question the government’s practices using cell phone data; Swartz sees the issue as practical is some cases, where Allen sees an overt violation of privacy. Both of the articles brought up two important questions. How do we define our expectation of privacy, and when does the government’s need take precedence, and even violate an individual’s expectation of privacy?

    Read More

  • George Orwell's 1984 and Today

    1457 Words  | 3 Pages

    The telescreens in 1984 served two purposes, surveillance and mind control. Unlike the televisions of our present day, the telescreens in 1984 also served as a device constantly monitoring the citizen’s actions by means of an integrated camera and microphone in addition to broadcasting continuous p...

    Read More

  • In Praise of Big Brother: Why We Should Learn to Stop Worrying and Love Government Surveillance

    1896 Words  | 4 Pages

    James Stacey Taylor's article, "In Praise of Big Brother: Why We Should Learn to Stop Worrying and Love Government Surveillance" begins reviewing the concept of "Big Brother" as it was originally presented in George Orwell's 1984. The Big Brother started off as a fictional character in 1984-- a dictator of Oceania within a totalitarian state. Set within a society in which everyone is under complete surveillance by the authorities, mainly by telescreens, the people are constantly reminded of this by the phrase “Big Brother is watching you” (Wikipedia) . Taylor goes on to explain some examples of recent surveillance technology and how it is applied in lives today. An interesting note and comparison between today’s technology and that of the telescreens in 1984, is that people could be sure that they could not be watched by Big Brother’s telescreens by going out of the cities into the country, where they only had to take care that their conversations were not monitored by hidden microphones (Taylor 227). He contrasts the two, highlighting the fact that “Such an escape is not impossible, for spy satellites can be used to monitor people wherever they go” (277). From there, Taylor perpetuates the framework for his position on the Big Brother notion. Taylor argues that, "rather than opposing such an expansion of surveillance technology, its use should be encouraged -- and not only in the public realm" (227). Taylor’s argument presented in a more formal construction is as follows:

    Read More

  • 1984 vs Today

    871 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Personal Identity In George Orwell's 1984

    1129 Words  | 3 Pages

    For Big Brother to stay in control there cannot be individual identity. The ‘Party’ strives to strip away people's identities to have power over a group of emotionless individuals. Big Brother believes that the past must be controlled in order to regulate the present. Since Big Brother “is in control of the present” ( 20 ), they decide how everyone lives their everyday lives. The reason why the Party breaks links between the past from the present is clear. Therefore, citizens will fail to remember their individual identities from the past, and way of life was far better than is it now. “Oceania” lacks diversity, all their citizens are thought to be like emotionless robots. They all live in the same style apartment buildings, wear plain clothes, and eat stale food, everyone has to be uniform. This uniformity causes their citizens to act how they are told to which is the reason for their uniqueness and lack of personal identity. All over Oceania are posters reminding their citizens “BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING [THEM]” ( ). This is the ‘Party's’ way of telling citizens there is never a time they can be alone or be by themselves. They always have to act in accordance to how the party expects them to. To make sure of this, the government is constantly monitoring their citizen via ‘telescreens’ that are found in every room. Big Brothers obsession of complete control leads to the destruction of individual's

    Read More

  • Essay On Lack Of Privacy In 1984

    1567 Words  | 4 Pages

    Ultimately, common ideas found in the novel 1984, totalitarianism, surveillance, and lack of privacy are also ubiquitous in modern society and government. Big Brother and modern day government have been able to control its citizens through surveillance equipment, and fear all for a little more power. There is much to learn from such an undesirable form of society much like the one of Oceania in 1984. Examining Big Brother government closely, alarming connections can be made to real-world government actions in the United States and the cruel world within Orwell's book.

    Read More

  • 1984 George Orwell Analysis

    613 Words  | 2 Pages

    George Orwell’s 1984 created the term “Orwellian,” and this term continues to play a significant role in today’s society. “Orwellian” is a term often used to refer to a society or an aspect of society that exhibits some characteristic of 1984’s Oceania. When Orwell wrote this novel, he was predicting what the technology would be in the future. A recent New York Post article proves that technology has surpassed Orwell’s expectations. The article specifically explains mysterious actions taken by the FBI. Some FBI planes have the ability to capture video and cellphone activity. This situation is similar to George Orwell’s 1984, as they both invade people’s privacy by capturing video and listening to conversations. The technology of the 21st century is closely linked to the technology used by Big Brother in 1984.

    Read More

  • The Political Satire of The Novel 1984 by George Orwell

    1282 Words  | 3 Pages

    Personal privacy and space is never present throughout 1984. Surveillance is almost everywhere in Oceania. Every person is a victim of constant observation. It is impossible for individualism to exist since “Big Brother” is always watching. The use of technology is a powerful tool in 1984. The giant telescreens in every citizen’s room, used for scrutinizing its citizen’s blasts various forms of propaganda designed to make the Party appear triumphant and successful. The telescreens which operate 24/7 also monitor behavior, where miniscule facial twitches could be caught through surveillance cameras. Ubiquitously, citizens are always reminded, by the pervasive propaganda signs that, “BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU”( 3). Propaganda signs are used as effective tools to influence society into believing that its citizens are permanently being watched. Telescreens are not the only...

    Read More

  • The Social Impact of Cell Phones

    935 Words  | 2 Pages

    In today’s world the vast majority of the population owns a cell phone. Cell phones are a huge part of people’s everyday lives. Since the 1940’s when mobile phones became available for automobiles, phone companies have made huge strides in making mobile phones more efficient, much smaller, and more available for anyone to use. There was a time where only people of wealth had these types of mobile phones. Now people from all social classes own a cell phone. They are extremely convenient and have the ability to do just about anything you can think of. There is an “app” for everything. You can make phone calls, text message, surf the web, pay your bills, read books, catch up on social media, and even listen to you music all from one small handheld device. Cell phones play a huge role in today’s economy. Businesses such as AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint have become huge public corporations with large stakes in the stock market. Between these companies among several other phone companies they have created millions of jobs and opportunities. Cell phone companies have now created what are known as “smart phones”. These phones are typically slim and sleek and have countless versatile abilities. However, cell phones have not always been so “smart” or small for that matter.

    Read More

More about Big Brother Is Always Watching George Orwell Essay

Open Document