1984 By George Orwell: Who Controls Who?

Who Controls Who? The 21st century is full of brand new technology that has never been seen before. Every day we use it whether it’s a phone, battery powered cars, or the TV. Technology has changed life for the better no doubt but do we control it or does it control us? George Orwell’s novel 1984 dives into a dystopian London in which technology plays a massive part in the characters’ lives similar to how it does today. In 1984 “telescreens” are used to monitor citizen’s everyday movements and thoughts. Orwell writes “It was terribly dangerous to let your thoughts wander when you were in any public place or within range of a telescreen. The smallest thing could give you away. A nervous tic, an unconscious look of anxiety, a habit of muttering to yourself - anything that carried with it the suggestion of abnormality, of having something to hide “(Orwell 62). Technology today has gotten to the point where it can do exactly the same thing. Microphones, thermal imaging, and x-rays can all be used to monitor people. Similarly in society the government monitors us. According to an article about surveillance, “The Bush administration spent most of 2006 attempting to defend the warrantless wiretapping program” (Wyden). The government was using technology to monitor every phone call that was made. Once this

Orwell writes ‘“You can turn it off!” he said. “Yes,” said O’Brien, “we can turn it off. We have that privilege”’ (Orwell 169). O’Brien of the Inner Party is able to turn of the telescreen for a short amount of time. Winston never had that privilege or even knew it was possible. If someone knows what to do they can turn off almost any piece of technology today. Whether its cameras, TV’s, or even microphones. If the president wanted to have cameras shut off for privacy he could have that done. It wouldn’t be as easy for normal citizens