The Circle’s Warning: A Machiavellian Approach to Mass Surveillance
Dave Eggers' s The Circle serves as a warning to its readers against modern-day society's reliance on social media and the virtual world of the internet. The book introduces Mae Holland, a young ambitious woman who has the opportunity of a lifetime to work for The Circle Company. The Circle's innovations such as the SEECHANGE cameras permit anyone visual access to any place at any time. Eventually, these cameras are used by Mae to monitor her every move, every day and to supply her whereabouts to anyone in the world. Mae becomes the face of transparency to inspire others to join her in this journey. This rather radical approach to social media eradicates our privacy rights. …show more content…
Dave Eggers's The Circle is a cautionary tale that explores the themes of human rights, personal identity and the pitfall of modernity. The idea of full transparency takes away our privacy rights as to avoid persecution we no longer behave the way we truly are. Simply stated, "in a world where bad choices are no longer an option, we have no choice but to be good" (Eggers, 292). The Circle explores the dangers of mass surveillance and the potential of full transparency. In the real world, "companies can use our personal information to our disadvantage" (qtd. in Tapscott, par.6). The potential thought of full transparency in the real world and mass surveillance would benefit the government and data-collecting companies; however, it would harm our individual privacy rights, …show more content…
The overuse of technology and our dependence on social media has essentially taken over our lives. In truth, the real world has been slowly adapting to the world of The Circle. Currently, we are already experiencing mass surveillance in the real world. Our use of internet and our way of sharing unnecessary data online are an example of a Faustian bargain. We have access to these sources, but we provide information in return. It is a form of surveillance. As Ross Douthat, a New York Times columnist suggests, "The internet in effect, is a surveillance state" (Douthat, par. 5). It is in our best interest to avoid the possibility of a dystopian totalitarianism as depicted in Dave Eggers's The Circle and George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four. Mass surveillance is only beneficial to the government and companies that collect our information. Orwell warns, "If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face - for ever" (Orwell, 267). We cannot lose our own identities, and we cannot lose our rights. We are not Mae Holland. We are not hollow. We matter. Our privacy matters. It is crucial for us to protect our rights and ourselves. It is time for us to heed the warning of The Circle and realize the potential dangers of what could our own world turn out to be. And don't forget, whether you like it or not, "Big Brother Is Watching You" (Orwell,
Dave Eggers' s The Circle serves as a warning to its readers against modern-day society's reliance on social media and the virtual world of the internet. The book introduces Mae Holland, a young ambitious woman who has the opportunity of a lifetime to work for The Circle Company. The Circle's innovations such as the SEECHANGE cameras permit anyone visual access to any place at any time. Eventually, these cameras are used by Mae to monitor her every move, every day and to supply her whereabouts to anyone in the world. Mae becomes the face of transparency to inspire others to join her in this journey. This rather radical approach to social media eradicates our privacy rights. …show more content…
Dave Eggers's The Circle is a cautionary tale that explores the themes of human rights, personal identity and the pitfall of modernity. The idea of full transparency takes away our privacy rights as to avoid persecution we no longer behave the way we truly are. Simply stated, "in a world where bad choices are no longer an option, we have no choice but to be good" (Eggers, 292). The Circle explores the dangers of mass surveillance and the potential of full transparency. In the real world, "companies can use our personal information to our disadvantage" (qtd. in Tapscott, par.6). The potential thought of full transparency in the real world and mass surveillance would benefit the government and data-collecting companies; however, it would harm our individual privacy rights, …show more content…
The overuse of technology and our dependence on social media has essentially taken over our lives. In truth, the real world has been slowly adapting to the world of The Circle. Currently, we are already experiencing mass surveillance in the real world. Our use of internet and our way of sharing unnecessary data online are an example of a Faustian bargain. We have access to these sources, but we provide information in return. It is a form of surveillance. As Ross Douthat, a New York Times columnist suggests, "The internet in effect, is a surveillance state" (Douthat, par. 5). It is in our best interest to avoid the possibility of a dystopian totalitarianism as depicted in Dave Eggers's The Circle and George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four. Mass surveillance is only beneficial to the government and companies that collect our information. Orwell warns, "If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face - for ever" (Orwell, 267). We cannot lose our own identities, and we cannot lose our rights. We are not Mae Holland. We are not hollow. We matter. Our privacy matters. It is crucial for us to protect our rights and ourselves. It is time for us to heed the warning of The Circle and realize the potential dangers of what could our own world turn out to be. And don't forget, whether you like it or not, "Big Brother Is Watching You" (Orwell,