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Cyberpunked: George Orwell’s 1984 and Today’s Society

The inception of electricity and various technologies marked an age of advancement for humanity. With this advancement cyberpunk; an artistic avenue to explore technological possibilities, ramifications and the unknown was created. The Oxford dictionary defines cyperpunk as  a genre of science fiction set in a lawless subculture of an oppressive society dominated by computer technology (Oxford English Dictionary, 2013). The concept of cyberpunk is not exact, as meanings vary and are open for interpretations. Nevertheless, material categorised as cyberpunk all hold generic characteristics linking them together under this genre. Often some form of omnipresent technology is used to oppress humanity or a specific audience through the adoption of various methodologies. With this aid from technology,cyberpunk often employes an ever powerful/controlling entity to direct society. This may be represented as a corporation, government, or computer. This often utilizes the picture of a despotic future, in which civil liberties have been removed under the disguise of protecting the last traces of humanity. Cyberpunk also generically focuses on the underground perspective of society, that of the oppressed or the punk, anti-hero of the oppressed. Such characteristics discussed are evident in George Owell’s intuitive novel 1984, through the omnipresence of telescreens and ‘big brother’ oppressing the people of Oceania through the implementation various methods, all attempting to prevent political rebellion of a society that is in decay from a perceived war. Thus categorising Orwell’s 1984 as cyberpunk (Orwell, 1977). 

The cyberpunk novel was written in the year 1948, inspired by a point in history where the Cold War threatened nations. A fear of communism, and thus the psychological dangers of manipulation, totalitarianism and political authority was present and mirrored in the novel. An example of such manipulation illustrated in 1984  is the telescreen, a psychological stimulative, television like device designed to overwhelm and cloud the minds of civilians. The telescreens were placed in the rooms of all civilians, streaming propaganda and imposing a synthetic reality, while watching and monitoring behaviour (Klawitter, 1997). Such psychological dangers exist today however as a society we remain ignorant or complacent to the reality of this, possibly due to the successful application of psychological manipulation sitting in the living room (like that of 1984) the study or in the hands of millions of people world wide. Today’s ‘telescreens’ aren’t perceived as intrusive, alternatively they are perceived as a basic necessity for all. Televisions, computers, mobile phones all a necessity playing a bigger role more than they’re ‘intend‘ basic function. Mobile phones have access to personal conversations and location, what we fail to realise is other’s (corporations or governments) can gain access to the same mobile phones. Computers store personal information, the television dictates whats society watches, thus feeding viewers with specific material designed to provoke certain psychological responses. All presenting some form of potential psychological manipulation, the same manipulation illustrated in Orwell’s 1984 (Rodden, 2011).

This psychological manipulation proves to be a powerful tool, in both Orwell’s 1984 and today’s society, however the generation to which one belongs can be seen to compliment the success of such manipulation or brainwashing nonetheless. In Orwell’s 1984 the omnipotent Party targets children to brainwash, being young, naive and vulnerable through “systematically turning children into ungovernable little savages” (Orwell, 1977). Thus resulting in a league of child spies, who report any disloyalty and have rebelled against family and all parental control. Such an attitudinal shift is evident in today’s youth and throughout the generations. After years of bombardment from their ‘telescreens’ and other devices about what to wear, what to think, and how to behave, what today’s youth consider moral and acceptable differ to that of youth from different generations. Older generations are often portrayed in the media and considered by many as ignorant or ‘out of date’ while the younger quick and adapt to conformity. Perhaps younger generations intentionally mistake wisdom, caution and life experience for ignorance and like the child spies in 1984, simply respond to the stimulus thrust upon them. Even though this shift thinking and behaviour is less extreme than that of 1984 it is present, therefore this gradual shift may be concerning to some and overtime provoke extreme results (Deacon, 1980).

With agencies around the world, such as the United States National Security Agency (NSA) involved in warrantless wiretapping, maintaining a call database and engaged in data-mining, it is reasonable to draw conclusions that ‘Big Brother’ may no longer be a fictional character. In our real world, we are monitored by the government constantly. Like 1984, the government monitors the world around us and like 1984, the governments insists it is for the greater good and safety of a nation. However such monitoring may just as easily be the result of government insecurity and a lack of trust.  While today’s monitoring may look different to that of 1984 surveillance exist, sometimes in unsuspecting places. Some agree with such security, while others consider it a violation of privacy. Privacy being a basic right for all to enjoy. However what once was a simple concept taken for granted privacy is now a grave concern with powerful corporations such as Google and Facebook collecting and building databases of personal information, the ability to target an individual for any reason is now a reality. The corporate elite direct thought processes and conversation with their agenda in order to exercise their control over the masses.

In 1984, the Party stimulates the perception of a perpetual war in order to assert their dominance by ensuring the safety of the people. War has not been uncommon and plays its part in society today. Australia have been seen to bound seamlessly with allied nations such as the United Stated from one military conflict to another from Iraq to Afghanistan. While civil unrest magnifies in Lebanon and Syria the lingering threat of North Korea also catches the world’s attention. As a result an imposed fear of differences arises with social intolerance, tools used to oppress a society into ‘normalcy’. 

It is evident we are moving towards moving towards the imagined world presented by George Orwell’s cyberpunk novel, 1984 as aspects of the world today mirror that of the fictional world illustrated by the novel. Today’s society fail to acknowledge the Negative Impact of technology on humanity. Thus like the people of Oceania, we allow technology and corporate giants to manipulate societal interactions. Riots, revolutions and war threaten the peaceful future of nations. Features of a despotic world surround today’s society as ramifications of specific technologies exist in a world only slightly different from the present. The masses have allowed technology to take a new priority in their lives, becoming dependent through willfully submitting to multiple internet profiles, Facebook, Twitter, and all of Google’s applications. Thus as a society we’ve created a totalitarian consumerist material society. Ultimately, today’s society  must remain conscious when sitting in front of telescreens because ‘Big Brother’ may be watching.

References

Deacon, R. (1980). Approaching 1984. Newton Abbot: Dev..

Klawitter, U. (1997). The theme of totalitarianism in "English" fiction. Frankfurt am Main: P. Lang.

Oed.com (2013). Home : Oxford English Dictionary. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.oed.com [Accessed: 15 Sep 2013].

Orwell, G. (1977). 1984. New York, N.Y.Published by Signet Classic.

Rodden, J. (2011). The unexamined Orwell. Austin, Tex.University of Texas Press.

Sparknotes.com (2013). SparkNotes: 1984: Themes, Motifs & Symbols. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/1984/themes.html [Accessed: 15 Sep 2013].

Weekend reading: The NSA PRISM program(2013).Chatham: Newstex. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.libraryproxy.griffith.edu.au/docview/1365906742?accountid=14543

Yeo, M. (2010). Propaganda and surveillance in george orwell's nineteen eighty-four: Two sides of the same coin. Global Media Journal, 3(2), 49-n/a. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.libraryproxy.griffith.edu.au/docview/888152971?accountid=14543

Milestones in Television History

Book Research

Books written by Stephen Stockwell:

Stockwell, Stephen. (2005) Political campaign strategy : doing democracy in the 21st century. Melbourne, Australia: Australian Scholarly Publishing.

Stockwell, Stephen. (2000) All media guide to fair cross cultural reporting: for journalists, program makers, and media students. Nathan, Queensland: Australian Key Centre for Cultural and Media Policy

Research and explore social media with this useful book:

Bell, Gavin. (2009) Building social web applications. Beijing, China: Cambridge

Academic Books that give insight into Jean Luc Godard's Alphaville:

Drake, Chris. (2005) Alphavile: A French Film Guide. Tauris & Company, London.

Meehan, Paul. (2008) Tech-noir: the fusion of science fiction and film noir. Jefferson, N.C : McFarland.

Sanders, Steven. (2008) The philosophy of science fiction film. Lexington, Ky : University Press of Kentucky.

Available at Griffith University South Bank Campus 

My Thoughts on Communication Technologies

I have been using communication technologies such as Facebook, Yahoo mail and Youtube ever since I felt it was a social necessity developed early through my primary school environment. Such sites and content became a topic for conversation, a way of interacting outside school and the norm that the vast majority was conforming to at the time. Thus if you weren't making use of such technologies you may be considered out of touch or excluded by peers. Now I rely heavily on such technologies daily to communicate with friends when organising a social event or lecturers when submitting material an so on. In ambiguous terms I rely communication technologies to successfully interact with the world around me. 

Privacy?

While I was young privacy was always a huge issue, due to my parents innate concern. However now it is something I put little thought into, I keep my accounts private and that for me seems to work well. I am yet to have an issue with privacy.

However in reality I think this oblivious approach to privacy can definitely be dangerous.  Knowing who is accessing your personal information is a necessity and is something I am growing more concerned about. For example, the extent to which companies such as Facebook and google who collect information about their users is something I ignored while being bombarded with customized advertisements based on everything I looked at on the web. While some adds or information may be useful its also scary to think just how much these companies know about me.

Evernote: Remember Everything!

Evernote is a web application designed for those with a less than perfect memory, which is pretty inclusive of us all. It aims to make the information you need available to you anywhere through a range of features such as reminders, note taking and audio recording. Students may use it to keep track of their class notes, teachers may use it to store lesson plans, travellers plan trips and so on. The diversity of this app maximises its productivity. According to Evernote, their main goal is:

"To give everyone the ability to easily capture any moment, idea, inspiration, or experience whenever they want."

Definitely one to check out. www.evernote.com

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