1984

Are we living in an Orwellian Nightmare?

In today’s world our devices and screens have become not just a prominent aspect of our lives, they are our lives. Orwell would be petrified to see how we carry a smaller form of his vision of the telescreen in our pockets everyday, taking them wherever we go. Many of us even feel an overwhelming sense of fear or anxiety when we are without them. Screens have overtaken our lives as many own multiple technological devices in addition to these smartphones. 

Through the advancement of technology we have gained the ability to easily communicate with anyone and access to countless sources of information at our fingertips but we have also lost a sense of privacy in out own homes. The government using strategies such as constantly surveillancing our devices and internet searches through dating mining or monitoring our phone calls as a justification to aid national security. Though I believe the government monitoring has gone too far. Innocent civilians are often prevented from normal life activities when their data is placed on watch lists. They may not be allowed to travel through airports, apply for certain jobs, or are questioned by authorities when they are targeted. Not to mention, when the government obtains this information they are able to easily share it and hold on to it for as long as they please. There has come a point in which our privacy has been neglected due to safety precautions, yet it seems to have reached far beyond the line. This is due to our own merits as we voluntarily give up our privacy when we allow websites to access our personal information or post photos and videos on social media platforms. This gives almost anyone such as marketing firms, hackers, or stalkers the freedom to seamlessly find this personal information, though we like to believe it is kept private and safe.

Many of us have also heard speculation that our smart speaker devices such as Amazon Alexa or Google Home are constantly listening to our conversations and monitoring our daily habits or schedules. With this knowledge many people still chose to purchase the products and keep them in their home, possibly deciding it is better to turn a blind eye. Therefore, is may be our own fault for not choosing to ignore the indecencies of our government and not stand up for our privacy.