Big Brother Is Watching: Get over It!

Big Brother is Watching: Get Over It!

In George Orwell’s book, 1984, the very existence of every person is scrutinized by their form of government called the Party. The main character, Winston Smith, is constantly monitored throughout his daily life by the telescreen, “an oblong metal plaque like a dulled mirror” (1), placed strategically so that it can see and hear everything that is going on around him. In America society today we are seeing a movement that can be classified as “Orwellian” as it relates to this very subject of surveillance, the Internet. The similarities between the telescreen and the free access of the Internet cannot be ignored and as our country is dealing with terrorism, we must be willing to endure some lose of independence that we have gained through the World Wide Web.

One similarity easily noted between the telescreen and the Internet is that they both can not be turned off. The telescreen “could be dimmed, but there was no way of shutting it off completely” (2). On the other hand, you may think that you are turning off the Internet when you shut down your computer, but in fact it stays on twenty-four hours a day. They are both viewed through a monitor, whereas the telescreen is forcibly two-way where you can be seen and heard, the computer gives you a choice. Some people invite others into their homes via the internet with the use of webcams, cameras that are attached to your computer and allow others to see you in your home. This may all seem like fun now, but it sounds like if taken several steps further it could turn into the constant monitoring that Winston is subjected to.

Although the