Technology In George Orwell's 1984

Technology is a process, invention, or method that is applied/interrelated to life, society, and the environment. In George Orwell’s 1984, technology is used to create a dystopian society where the Inner Party and Big Brother have complete control over the Outer Party and proles. The Party uses their absolute power to control what is said and what is thought about their establishment in Oceania. Three types of technology that allow the Party to create and maintain a dystopian society in Oceania are the telescreen, a new type of language regulated by the government called Newspeak, and brainwashing techniques. George Orwell’s take on the modern day television is a sophisticated version of a television he calls a telescreen. A telescreen,

Newspeak is a language that was designed to limit the ways people are allowed to express themselves through speech and writing. Orwell believes there are flaws in the English language, highlighted by the use of Newspeak in 1984 (Fowler). One flaw that Orwell sees is the use of “ready-made phrases, which is of immediate relevance to Nineteen Eighty-Four” (Fowler). Ready-made phrases are expressions that take the place of logical and well-constructed thought. The Party’s aim is to keep people from forming a logical reasoning to resist their reign and Newspeak takes advantage of ready-made phrases to make sure people use a diction that has no relevance to the subject at hand. “Thus language neither springs from consciousness (the speaker is not thinking), nor has any relation to truth” (Fowler). Preventing resistance is key to the continuance of a dystopian society. If one of the Outer Party members tries to start a rebellion, he/she will only know Newspeak, which is all unoriginal and disconnected words/ideas. When the same ideas are constantly tossed around by the same person, the audience will lose interest and associate the person as just another rambling revolutionist and turn their back on them