In both Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World and George Orwell’s 1984, dystopian futures exist under different influences. Neil Postman, a contemporary social critic, asserts that the vision within Huxley’s novel is more relevant in today’s world than is Orwell’s. Orwell’s 1984 cautions a society oppressed by systematic oppression, government surveillance, and the alteration of the past itself. On the contrary, Huxley warns of a society “frittered away”, as Thoreau once said, by distractions, pleasures, and complacency. Although 1984 is surely relevant in today’s world, Postman is correct in his assertion that Brave New World envisioned many of modern society’s problems. It cannot be denied that the horrors of 1984 exist in the modern world. In …show more content…
Every day, people use phones and laptops and tablets to access news, communicate with acquaintances, enjoy games, and more to satisfy needs and wants. What society tends to overlook is the complacency with which it accepts simple pleasures and conveniences provided by technology. Thus, Huxley’s fear of “man’s infinite appetite for distractions” is clearly being assisted by the rise of computer technology. Through my presence in numerous social media, Twitter and Snapchat and Instagram and Reddit, to name a few, I have witnessed firsthand the prevalence of fake news misleading unsuspecting consumers, no oppressive government required. By devouring news, often embellished or exaggerated, we seek pleasure. This desire for ease and accessibility in brainwashing society. Human interaction, real, in-person, face-to-face experience, is increasing difficult as we indulge ourselves with digital interaction and stimulation. Society is failing to witness its self-inflicted transition into a captive culture, devoid of any individual judgment. Despite warnings from Huxley and Postman, we are witnessing a gradual transformation into the collective passivity outlined in Brave New