1984 vs. Society Today
In the novel 1984 by George Orwell, it takes place in a utopian society where everyone is being watched 24/7. Technology today is creating a world that looks like Oceania in 1984 by increasing surveillance in Long Beach, and telephones becoming pinpoint trackers. One similarity between Oceania and current society is that the people are being watched on the street, and currently Long Beach is using 400 cameras for surveillance on the streets. For instance, in Georgia Orwell 's 1984 it states “There was of course no way of knowing whether you were being washed 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 …show more content…
They 're becoming basically mini telescreens who are always watching. For instance, when Winston is doing the Physical Jerks, he was daydreaming when suddenly the instructor called out “ Smith! 6079 Smith W! Yes you! Bend lower, please! That 's better, comrade…” (Orwell #32). Winston is daydreaming, and is not doing the exercises, so they point him out specifically, which shows that they are always watching. The party is using the telescreens as an invasion of privacy to watch people to keep everyone in order. This is a crucial part of the world in 1984 because you always know that they are watching, and it is a constant reminder to follow all the rules, and that Big Brother is always watching. For example, in the article "That 's No Phone. That 's My Tracker." it states, "In just the past few years, cellphone companies have honed their geographic technology, which has become almost pinpoint… If someone knows exactly where you are, they probably know what you are doing. Cellular systems constantly check and record the location of all phones on their networks… " (Maass, Rajagopalan). If we have a cell phone, which most people do, cellular carriers can know exactly where we are and what we are doing. With telescreens being everywhere in 1984, the Party knows exactly where everyone is and what they 're doing. People should be concerned about the similarity because we will no longer …show more content…
For example, in the article "Long Beach Police to Use 400 Cameras Citywide to Fight Crime" it states “ The Chief said it won 't be a case of ‘big brother is watching’ because a central control center will enlist the private cameras only when police know an incident is unfolding in a certain area" (Winton). This is saying that yes there will be surveillance, but it will only be looked at when there is a crime happening in an area. Unfortunately, that argument fails to consider that they will still be able to access the footage whenever they want, and who knows if they will be watching us all the time like in 1984?For instance, in the same article it states "Tapping into hundreds of privately owned cameras, the system synchronizes law enforcement data with real-time video feeds from Parks, beaches, and business Corridors.Long Beach Police now have eyes everywhere” (Winton). The police now will be able to watch anywhere and everywhere in the city. This just proves that they will have surveillance everywhere just like in Oceania. Who cares if it 's just for safety, they will be able to watch us everywhere. Now there will be no privacy. Today with all our new technology they are using it by putting cameras everywhere and invading our privacy every moment we are outside. Some people may say that the police are just using the surveillance for safety, but
In the novel 1984 by George Orwell, it takes place in a utopian society where everyone is being watched 24/7. Technology today is creating a world that looks like Oceania in 1984 by increasing surveillance in Long Beach, and telephones becoming pinpoint trackers. One similarity between Oceania and current society is that the people are being watched on the street, and currently Long Beach is using 400 cameras for surveillance on the streets. For instance, in Georgia Orwell 's 1984 it states “There was of course no way of knowing whether you were being washed 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 …show more content…
They 're becoming basically mini telescreens who are always watching. For instance, when Winston is doing the Physical Jerks, he was daydreaming when suddenly the instructor called out “ Smith! 6079 Smith W! Yes you! Bend lower, please! That 's better, comrade…” (Orwell #32). Winston is daydreaming, and is not doing the exercises, so they point him out specifically, which shows that they are always watching. The party is using the telescreens as an invasion of privacy to watch people to keep everyone in order. This is a crucial part of the world in 1984 because you always know that they are watching, and it is a constant reminder to follow all the rules, and that Big Brother is always watching. For example, in the article "That 's No Phone. That 's My Tracker." it states, "In just the past few years, cellphone companies have honed their geographic technology, which has become almost pinpoint… If someone knows exactly where you are, they probably know what you are doing. Cellular systems constantly check and record the location of all phones on their networks… " (Maass, Rajagopalan). If we have a cell phone, which most people do, cellular carriers can know exactly where we are and what we are doing. With telescreens being everywhere in 1984, the Party knows exactly where everyone is and what they 're doing. People should be concerned about the similarity because we will no longer …show more content…
For example, in the article "Long Beach Police to Use 400 Cameras Citywide to Fight Crime" it states “ The Chief said it won 't be a case of ‘big brother is watching’ because a central control center will enlist the private cameras only when police know an incident is unfolding in a certain area" (Winton). This is saying that yes there will be surveillance, but it will only be looked at when there is a crime happening in an area. Unfortunately, that argument fails to consider that they will still be able to access the footage whenever they want, and who knows if they will be watching us all the time like in 1984?For instance, in the same article it states "Tapping into hundreds of privately owned cameras, the system synchronizes law enforcement data with real-time video feeds from Parks, beaches, and business Corridors.Long Beach Police now have eyes everywhere” (Winton). The police now will be able to watch anywhere and everywhere in the city. This just proves that they will have surveillance everywhere just like in Oceania. Who cares if it 's just for safety, they will be able to watch us everywhere. Now there will be no privacy. Today with all our new technology they are using it by putting cameras everywhere and invading our privacy every moment we are outside. Some people may say that the police are just using the surveillance for safety, but