1984: relevance of the novel to the current world
The book 1984by George Orwell, written in 1949, depicts a dystopian world, declaring totalitarianism, control over the mass media, propaganda, censorship and caution. Although a lot of fates have passed since the time of its writing, many of the themes that were destroyed in the novel are no longer relevant in our time.
Totalitarianism:
In the novel " 1984" describes a totalitarian regime where the party controls all aspects of people's lives. There is a cult of specialness of the Great Brother, censorship, propaganda, and other people are cruelly punished.
In today's world, there are authoritarian regimes, like the regime in the novel "1984", to achieve total control over their citizens. These regimes use censorship, propaganda, as well as modern technologies, such as video cameras and programs for recognizing faces, for monitoring people.
Apply:
- China is developing a “social credit” system that evaluates people’s behavior and can limit their access to primary services.
- Russia has laws that protect “propaganda of homosexuality” and “ I don’t care about power."
- Turechchyna has blocked access to Twitter, Facebook and other social networks.
Control over information:
The novel "1984" has a language "newspeak" in order to limit the ability to think freely. Propaganda is also used to sway people from the correctness of the party's policies.
In the current world, social influences can be used to manipulate people. Fake news and disinformation can spread even rapidly, which can lead to the polarization of the marriage.
Apply:
- Russian propaganda media spread disinformation about well in Ukraine.
- Social measures are being used to increase the number of fake news and the theory of change.
- Social measures algorithms can create “filter bubbles”, where people receive more information, which confirms we have our most important reconversions .
Carefulness:
In the novel "1984" people are under constant caution behind the help of television screens.
Today there are video surveillance cameras, face recognition programs, as well as other technologies that allow you to monitor people. These technologies can be abused to fight against evil, but they can also be abused to violate people's privacy.
Apply:
- China has a camera system being abused Video surveillance of face recognition to identify people.
- In the United States, government agencies collect metadata from telephone calls and electronic lists.
- In many countries around the world, victorious programs are being used to increase the spread of COVID -19, which can be collected data about people's spirituality.
The novel "1984" is losing its relevance in the present world, even though it presents a lot of things that are relevant for us. It is our responsibility to avoid threats to totalitarianism, control over information and caution. It is our responsibility to fight for freedom of thought, speech and privacy.