Annotated Bibliography
Thesis: In 1984 by George Orwell, a totalitarian government named “Big Brother” controls civilians with high tech security to limit their freedom and keep them oppressed.
Orwell, George. 1984. Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated, 1950. Print.
This book will help in defining the different ways through which countries obtain and maintain power. 1984 was written by George Orwell, and it accounts for oppression in Oceania. It was published in 1949, and major thematic topics include mutability of the past and the existence of information over memory. Orwell lived at a time when he felt oppressed. That is why the book is centered on a totalitarian system where the government is centralized and requires complete subservience
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to the governing body. Ryzhkov, Vladimir. "Russia's New Totalitarianism Depends on Silence." The Moscow Times — News, Business, Culture & Events, The Moscow Times, 2018, themoscowtimes.com/articles/russias-new-totalitarianism-depends-on-silence-46053. Accessed 20 May 2018. Ryzhkov introduces the readers to totalitarian practices which were practised in Russia.
This article mentions examples of totalitarian rule which include the growing censorship and political repression.
This article will broaden insight into the rule that comes with the limitation of freedom and political repression. Also, it will add on to some of the important aspects of life.
Sevenzo, Farai. "In Kenya, Media Censorship Casts Worrying Shadow." CNN, Turner Broadcasting System Inc, 5 Feb. 2018, edition.cnn.com/2018/02/05/africa/kenya-media-intl/index.html. Accessed 20 May 2018.
CNN accounts for the life of media censorship that was seen shaking Kenya’s democracy. Sevenzo accounts for the election period where the media were restricted from media coverage.
This article will help in explaining the role played by government in controlling the affairs of the nation. Also, the article will help in defining the huge role played by the government in controlling the freedom and rights of people.
Dwyer, Tessa. "Media Piracy, Censorship and Misuse." Edinburgh University Press, 2018.
The introduction of mass media has been defined by this article as being the source of media censorship. Dwyer mentions regulating bodies and rating systems which have been used by the government in controlling the freedom and rights of
people. Through this article, the readers will be able to define censorship issues and their influence on the ruling of the society. This will add up to the role played by governing bodies in the society.
George Orwell’s novel, 1984, is a dystopian literary text that illuminates the tenets of totalitarian and authoritarian governance in most areas where the leaders seek total loyalty and near hero worship. It was published in 1949, but has since remained relevant because its details promoted authoritarian political constructs and the political leadership concepts that evolved in the globe over time. Set at Oceania province in Airstrip One, formerly known as Great Britain, the book displays an omnipresent government that institutes constant state surveillance on the people that it suspects to be a threat to its regime and agitators of rebellion. It infringes on human rights
Over the centuries, the media has played a significant role in the shaping of societies across the globe. This is especially true of developed nations where media access is readily available to the average citizen. The media has contributed to the creation of ideologies and ideals within a society. The media has such an effect on social life, that a simple as a news story has the power to shake a nation. Because of this, governments around the world have made it their duty to be active in the regulation and control of media access in their countries. The media however, has quickly become dominated by major mega companies who own numerous television, radio and movie companies both nationally and internationally. The aim of these companies is to generate revenue and in order to do this they create and air shows that cater to popular demand. In doing so, they sometimes compromise on the quality of their content. This is where public broadcasters come into perspective.
... Therefore, Big Brother’s regime and Stalin’s regime are similar. In each scenario, each party implements a psychological and physical manipulation of society through the control of information and language with the help of technology. George Orwell’s 1984 psychologically and physically manipulate society through the control of language and information. The Party controls all the activities and all the information reaching the people.
Big Brother and modern day government have been able to control its citizens through surveillance equipment, and fear all for a little more power. There is much to learn from such an undesirable form of society, much like the one of Oceania in 1984. Examining Big Brother government closely, alarming connections can be made to real-world government actions in the United States and the cruel world within Orwell's book.
The media censorship appears in various forms and in almost all countries; few have legal systems that guarantee absolute freedom of the media.
As a nation we are obligated to obey the rules and regulation of society in which was given to us by a higher power, the government. The government doesn’t have absolute power of society but it holds a balance of limited power to maintain society from failing into chaos or revolutions. However many believe there should be absolute power in order for society to fully function properly and away from war. This idea is based on Hobbes philosophy of absolute sovereignty. In which power should neither be limited nor divided but given absolute authority to a single person or an assembly to have an effective society. In this paper I will explain why I agree with Hobbes philosophy of absolute sovereignty. The idea is not perfect because we may give
In George Orwell’s 1984 novel, the world is depicted as a dystopian society where the government’s power of surveillance, propaganda, and control over citizens is insanely high. The novel dives into themes such as government oppression, manipulation of thoughts and oppression of freedom. In 1984, the government used a combination of tactics to control their citizens, even to the point of wanting to control their exact thoughts. In the 21st century, many similarities can be found between Orwell’s 1984 and aspects of society today. With the constant advancements of technology and the internet, surveillance has grown immensely and corporations have collected greater amounts of data on individuals with far less effort.
One of the fundamental roles of the media in a liberal democracy is to critically scrutinise governmental affairs: that is to act as a watchdog of government to ensure that the government can be held accountable by the public. However, the systematic deregulation of media systems worldwide is diminishing the ability of citizens to meaningfully participate in policymaking process governing the media (McChesney, 2003, p. 126). The relaxation of ownership rules and control, has resulted in a move away from diversity of production to a situation where media ownership is becoming increasing concentrated by just a few predominantly western global conglomerates (M...
However, with great power comes great responsibility, and most governments that allow too much power will crack under the pressure and implant complete security to protect their power from being taken by another leader that is not their main choice, or by the public through revolution. A sensible country will not allow its government to achieve either, as both will affect the country significantly in a negative spotlight. However, balancing freedom and security doesn’t take away all the problems, as having the same amount of freedom and security is impossible in reality and will soon tip into either side, and having more security than freedom will make citizens protest outside and inside of the area of influence by the government, and the awareness created can lead to tragic aftermath. This is why having more freedom than security while allowing the government to regulate individual actions that can adversely affect others, as total security will lead to totalitarianism and tyranny, allowing more security over freedom will generate resentment, severe riot, and, total freedom will lead to chaos and anarchy. Everyone wants power in one way or another, no matter if it is used for good, bad, or in-between.... ...
Stromback, J. and Esser, F. (2009) Shaping Politics: Mediatization and Media Interventionism, in Lundby, K (eds) Mediatization: Concept, changes, consequences. New York: Peter Lang Publishing, Inc, pp. 205-223.
Berger, G. (2007). Media Legislation in Africa: A comparative legal survey.Grahamstown: School of Journalism and Media Studies, Rhodes University.
Transnational media often impose different cultural and social consequences, especially in underdeveloped nations. Transnational media effect may not seem obvious, or intentional, but there is no doubt that transnational media and the capitalist elites in any nation are cooperating to achieve certain agenda to expand their dominance, and increase their profit. Such results are reached by multiple approaches that disguise the true intent of the existing of transnational media in any nation. To better understand how transnational media operates, and disseminate media content, numerous communication scholars developed theories that discuss the flow of media into and out of the non-dominant nations.
Edmund Burke once stated: “The greater the power, the more dangerous the abuse.” This particular quote suggests that when power lies in one source, chances of the mistreatment or abuse of power increases. In regards to politics, it is very important that power is distributed or separated in order to prevent the abuse of power. This idea was further supported by John Locke (1690) who stated: “It may be too great a temptation to human frailty.... for the same persons who have the power of making laws, to also have in their hands the power to execute them” . This essay is going to discuss the importance of the doctrine of the separation of powers.
Media in both The United States and Europe plays enormous rolls in the way people go about their lives. Media can control the way people dress, act, where they go to eat, who they vote for during elections, amongst many other things. The certain “spin” that media can give a story, can persuade a viewer to believe something, or simply not know that it is there. In this case, we look at censorship. The more censored a news article is, the less the audience knows about the story. While America is considered to be more censored than Europe, does this mean we know less than the rest of the world? In order to further review this concern, we must dig deeper into the media censorship of each nation.
Our assessment is that the ruling governments already have a bewildering array of media laws and regulations, some of them outdated and anachronistic, and some of them contradicting each other. Licensing and attendant requirements for print media continue to remain a huge stumbling block for media freedom. (Ramanathan, 2009)