Big Brother is Big Business

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Is your privacy at risk? How did the tracking and monitoring being discussed relate or compare to what was taking place in Orwell's 1984? Your walking through a crowded room and all of a sudden you are blinded by a flashing light directed towards YOU. As your vision comes back from being blinded, you see someone you’ve never seen before, taking your picture. They now have access to your personal information, where you live, where you work, or even worse your social security number. Is your privacy at risk, you ask? Umm… yeah it it. In today’s society, new technology is being discovered and introduced to the general public every second. Like Big Brother in Orwell’s 1984, our government knows our every move. Our government today has similarities to Orwell’s totalitarian government. One motif that is present throughout the entire novel and is definitely present in today’s society is technology. In 1984, the government uses things called telescreens and hidden microphones throughout the city to stalk all the members moves. “Inside the flat a fruity voice was reading out a list of figures which had something to do with the production of pig-iron. The voice came from an oblong metal plaque like a dulled mirror which formed part of the surface of the right-hand wall. Winston turned a switch and the voice sank somewhat, though the words were still distinguishable. The instrument (the telescreen, it was called) could be dimmed, but there was no way of shutting it off completely,” (Orwell, 13). When Winston tries to turn off the telescreen, it won’t shut down completely so it can send his tracking information and his actions to the government. The citizens can’t do anything about getting away from the invasive technology. The... ... middle of paper ... ...s could be a direct parallel to the little device we carry with wherever we go. Both tracking our every move and obtaining all of our confidential information. This has an impact on me because I didn’t know to what lengths the government had information about. I didn’t know the risk of posting many pictures on websites of me and my friends. There are many similarities in Orwell’s totalitarian government and our democracy. The devices we carry with us and the things we put on the internet for all to see can affect us greatly. So think twice next time you want to post a new picture to facebook. The government’s on to you. Works Cited "Big Brother, Big Business." CNBC.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Jan. 2014. "Big Brother Does Mean Big Business." CBS News, n.d. Web. Orwell, George. 1984: A Novel. New York, NY: Published by Signet Classic, 1977. Print.

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