Big Brother 'Sharing In Dave Eggers' The Circle

Have you ever had that creepy feeling someone is watching you, but when you look around no one is there? Or wonder how everyone seems to know your every move? That could be how we would feel on a daily basis if we really were to implement some of the ideas Dave Eggers puts forth in his book, The Circle. Concepts such as “secrets are lies”, undisclosed ideas can be detrimental to the company; “sharing is caring”, every aspect of your life should be “shared” with others; and “privacy is theft”, concealment of ideas is robbing everyone of advancement. The impact on our society if these fictional ideas were fully developed and mandated could be devastating. Some of the ideas Eggers’ explores are not all that far fetched. It is known that “Big Brother”

When you are little, it’s sharing your toys, then in school, it’s sharing your ideas with classmates and teachers, and as you settle into a career, you are expected, like in The Circle, to share your ideas to benefit the company. It seems everyone wants or expects a piece of you. Technology, such as phones, computers, tablets, and cameras, play a major role in staying connected or sharing with each other, but this obsessiveness is not always a good thing. When does sharing become over-sharing and detrimental to our “self” and society? From the early 1980’s to the present, the use of cell phones has grown exponentially and become increasingly dominant in today’s society. Today, it would be rare to know an individual who didn’t have a mobile phone or smart device. At first, cell phones were used only for voice communication; however, smartphones, as they are referred to today, interface with almost every aspect of our lives. Sharing has exploded! People can’t help sharing every single thing they do in their daily lives. Cameras, like phones, are everywhere, every street corner, every building, every pocket via cell phones and even in space attached to satellites. Cameras take high resolution photos, most record full high definition video and some even record 4k video. Today there is video taken of everything that happens in

Being forced into total submission or compliance is never a good thing; however, there is an exception to every rule. Some aspects of what Eggers puts forth in The Circle are beneficial to advance society like the idea of transparency. A company with a “transparent” management style often has a culture that “encourages a stronger team spirit, a sense of fairness, and deeper trust and confidence in your management team”. These qualities help with business relationships, and create a shared vision. In a transparent society, where everyone is watching and scrutinizing your every move, people tend to present themselves in their most perfect form as they don’t want to look bad in other’s eyes. “Bailey believes that life will be better, will be perfect, when everyone has unfettered access to everyone and everything they know. He genuinely believes that the answers to every life question can be found among other people. He truly believes that openness, that complete and uninterrupted access among all humans will help the world. That this is what the world’s been waiting for, the moment when every soul is connected. This is the rapture, Mae!” In this quote Ty Gospodinov, the third Wise Man, explains Eamon Bailey’s vision of the