Cameras In 1984

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Many readers finish 1984 feeling thankful that they are not under constant watch by their own government. Do they have a right to feel this way? The government can easily access video recordings of every street corner from Hawaii to
Maine and lets private companies take almost every piece of information that’s on our ‘private’ computers. Although our current society hasn’t gotten to the point where the relationship between family members is next to non-existent, the present state of the world is closer to the one presented in 1984 than some might think.
In the fictional country of Oceania telescreens, large TV-like objects equipped with cameras, infiltrate every public and private space. The government uses these devices to monitor their citizens …show more content…
Today, the installation of cameras in private homes is not mandatory. However, there’s something arguably worse. Companies called data brokers collect information from the Internet about individuals and then sell it to other companies. Through this process they have accomplished something that even the government in 1984 couldn’t do – they have access to what you’re thinking.
What you are thinking is determined by information that is collected from your search history, the websites you visit, and anything that you click on. By going through all this information, data brokers can figure out dangerously personal information like when you are usually home, any mental or physical disease you have or have had, and your sexual orientation. Data brokers then sell this information to companies, and undoubtedly the government.
While the government and private companies might know an unlimited amount of information about individuals, individuals know little about the government and private companies. Every government has secrets; some are needed for national security purposes while others are for personal gain and economic advancement. Recently, Hilary Clinton has been shamed by media …show more content…
Other countries such as Russia (lying to the world about Ukraine), Mexico (the endless finding of mass graves and police brutality), and North Korea (the government lying to its people about nearly everything outside the country’s borders) have a long history of government secrecy. In 1984, both the government and the citizens of Oceania are the ultimate liars. Through acts of doublethink, workers of the Ministry of Truth lie for the government to cover the diminishing state of everyday life. The past is rewritten multiple times to make everything that Big Brother announces true. The complete, helpless ignorance of Oceania’s citizens make them oblivious to the outside world and the despair all around them.
The government in 1984 has developed to the point where the bond between family members is completely destroyed. The reader witnesses this in Winston’s memories of his mother and the interaction between the Parsons children and their parents. The relationship between husband and wife is also strained in 1984 because marriages are arranged and partaking in sexual activity that it not for creating a new life is banned. Looking at modern times, we are far from
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