Confession

One thing that Orwell didn't have is the internet. 

I think it's pretty safe to say that we can never fully squash totalitarian/authoritarian ideas. (Doing so might be a certain kind of totalitarianism anyways?) However, as I talked about in one of my previous posts, the isolation of each person in 1984 is what makes erasure of the past and future possible. Therefore, if we stay connected, I don't believe any entity like the Party will be able to take control.

Yes, it is very naive to claim that the internet fixes everything. In fact, it breaks a lot of things and is perhaps the source of many of the problems that we face today. But in terms of moving away from an Orwellian society, the ability to instantly connect with people all around the world is POWERFUL. As with any tool, it can be misused. In 1984, it is a combination of the state and the media (controlled by the state). In our world, maybe we should be concerned with the internet as a way to meaningfully connect.

Right now (in the US) is actually a pretty good example. We are pretty isolated from each other because of the pandemic, but our society hasn't destructed into 1984 (yet??). Basically, using Zoom and all kinds of other online services, we can still connect and share ideas with each other. As long as we can keep the spirit of sharing information (willfully, of course) alive, no Party will be able to silence everyone.

Comments

  1. KatelynMarch 11, 2021 at 7:43 AM

    "Movements" especially grow into vast and intelligent things on the internet. Where it may have been hard to organize some coordinated effort against the Party in 1984, especially an effort that didn't have leaders that the Party could simply kill off, the internet allows movements to grow without leadership positions and into a widespread phenomenon.

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  2. Charlotte EbelMarch 11, 2021 at 7:48 AM

    This is a really good point. A lot of these posts are about the negative effect of the internet, so it's nice to see this different perspective. Though the internet can also keep people with harmful and destructive ideas connected (e.g. the Capitol riot), the ability of the internet to facilitate connections between the "good guys" will never disappear.

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  3. L. MoffittMarch 11, 2021 at 7:49 AM

    That is a good point. Technology can definitely be used to connect people (I have a Zoom meeting with my distant family every week), and that's important. There needs to be a desire to care about each other before we can unite in a common cause.

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  4. Nicholas PMarch 11, 2021 at 7:55 AM

    The internet is the perfect tool for creating a 1984 society. Every movement and communication you make online is track able by the government. Communication is only free until the government decides it isn't. Recently Zoom shut down meetings by a pro Hong Kong activist to appease china, despite china's promise of free speech in Hong Kong. The internet will only be free until it is inconvenient to the powers that be.

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  5. AnonymousMarch 11, 2021 at 7:59 AM

    Interesting. It seems like the prevalence of the internet makes people fear that we've become too reliant on technology, but like you said, the ability to share ideas on the internet is actually a really valuable tool in finding other people who agree with you (which is definitely a problem but also can protect us against totalitarianism.

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