Gabriella Pinos/ Staff Writer
When George Orwell published 1984, a novel depicting a dystopian society under a tyrannical government, it was a warning sign. The author feared we would create a world where war, slavery and ignorance were normalized and celebrated.
And on the surface, it’s easy to say that 2018 is 1984 incarnate.
The constant surveillance through social media sites have become our version of telescreens, Mark Zuckerberg’s dead eyes and forced smile our Big Brother. Data mining and information leaks from large corporation plague our privacy. One day, America is making peace with North Korea; the next, we are at the brink of nuclear war.
But it’s the rise of technology and social media that parallels Orwell’s novel the most. While large companies like Google and Facebook are far from monopolies, they exercise authority over what we see, who we interact with and how we use the internet.
Facebook has tried to rebuild from its Cambridge Analytica scandal back in April 2018, but it continues to have leverage over its users’ information. The company has also been accused of targeting and releasing information about its critics through a consulting firm called Definers Public Affairs, according to the New York Times, a tie they have cut as of November 15. The rights of citizens and competitors alike are overshadowed by the platform.
And if Facebook is the 21st century’s Big Brother, Google is Oceania, the government behind it all.
If Google were a physical entity, it would be the most powerful country on Earth. With over 247 million unique visitors in the United States alone and over 1 billion users, the search engine and its services are as vital a necessity as food or water.
But it is wrong, even dangerous, to believe that a billion-dollar corporation that profits off billions of users has our best interests at heart.
When it comes to our privacy, for instance, Google proclaims its services have “the most advanced online security” out there. The company even advertises its Advanced Protection Program, which uses security keys and passwords for users who need “an extra layer of security” on their Google account.
Yet, on November 12, internet traffic from Google Cloud was rerouted to internet service providers other than Google, according to the platform’s status dashboard on that day. It was later revealed that connections to Google in the United States were redirected to ISPs in China, Nigeria and Russia.
Like Facebook, the Google gods watch over our every move, recording our search history and passwords, all under the guise of tailoring our experience or making us safe.
With that comes the issue of algorithms and machine learning not just on Google, but from multiple tech companies. Recommended YouTube videos and pop-up advertisements are based off our own interests. With iOS 12 on iPhones, Siri can suggest actions for the user such as sending a text or making a call.
In the future, not only will Apple or Google have a say in how we behave, but so will the machines and emerging AI technology those companies create.
So what does that say about the future ahead of us? Are we doomed to live surveillance and fear, worried that Big Brother will discover our every secret?
Well, no – unless we are comfortable with it.
Despite the flaws in our government and technology, complete domination of our actions and psyche won’t come any time soon. The threat of an Orwellian future will always haunt us, whether it be with tomorrow’s latest federal regulation or the Black Mirror brain implants of 2028.
What worries me is that society will become too complacent, that we’ll sell our souls in exchange for the empty promises companies deliver us. So long as we keep our Google and social media sites active, we’ll be more than happy sharing our personal information or being under surveillance. In fact, we already do this by purchasing the latest Apple products every year.
Our version of 1984 won’t be the cold, claustrophobic world Orwell pictured. It’ll be like the one we live in now, where the citizens are ignorant, slaves to their devices, unable to think for themselves because technology has done the thinking for them.
DISCLAIMER:
The opinions presented within this page do not represent the views of Panther Press Editorial Board. These views are separate from editorials and reflect individual perspectives of contributing writers and/or members of the University community.
Photo by Alex Knight on Unsplash.
About Post Author
