Totalitarian Society in George Orwell´s 1984

Although the internet has been one humanities most important and groundbreaking inventions, it creates a totalitarian society. With the internet comes the ability to tap into an infinite net of knowledge that is available to anyone with a device that can connect to it. However, with these vast benefits also come grave dangers. The internet poses a large threat to individual privacy and freedom of expression that has existed in the United States for hundreds of years. The brains of humans are being re-wired with the ‘external brain’ that has been forced into our lives. Although more information is available, humans are becoming closed minded and limited in thought. The internet has replaced society as being a source of influence and control that will significantly shape future generations. George Orwell’s novel, 1984, has again become relevant with the emergence of the internet. The internet has led to the realization of George Orwell’s nightmare: the creation of a totalitarian society. In 1984, control was achieved by using language to limit thought, therefore the internet may be used to control the access of information in order to shape society and limit ideas.

The internet has proven to be a medium that has led an international revolution towards uniformity in thought and actions. The Google search engine is used by over 65% of internet users worldwide (Infographic). As a result, people who search specific topics around the world will read the same articles. Therefore, one gathers similar information and this prevents one from picking and choosing what he/she wants to read. By sorting the sources, Google presents only those that they believe apply to the viewer, therefore, limiting ones freedom by showing the same results fo...

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...s are trends that may just be indicators of somethings worse that lies ahead. As we have seen in Asia, the internet can be a powerful tool that can be abused by corrupt governments to force their people to think alike. The internet, although it may be very useful in accumulating information, creates uniformity among the public and shapes the way we act. The vast number of people contributing to the internet has created a global community. However, the online society is crossing over to reality: becoming a driving force behind the cultural change of the public. What has resulted is a one-sided, totalitarian society that mirrors George Orwell’s nightmare from 1984. In the future, the internet will continue to be a new challenge that society will constantly battle. While facing these challenges, we need to keep in mind the warnings presented in 1984 by George Orwell.