George Orwell predicted a dark time for 1984, that governments would be able to manipulate people through technology. He was wrong. The novel Nineteen Eighty-Four was not close to the year he predicted but 2019 is. Orwell’s warning to us has never been so valid. Phones, social media and fake news are all parallels to the dystopian place of Oceania. It’s up to people now, to realise that they are subject to the possibility of being manipulated through the technology that Orwell illuminated.

The Party in Oceania had the privilege of knowing that gave them the luxury of freedom. They turned off “telescreens”, knew about Big Brother and chose what was to be rewritten. Their freedom would only continue if manipulation through technology continued, motivating them to enforce that Big Brother was the light to everyone. They were the darkness who controlled when someone “should scream with pain… be fed… should sleep”. Their manipulation was subtle and only worked from the control they had through technology. Orwell’s warning of being manipulated by the government is heightened when technology gives them access to control.

“Telescreens” were an aspect of a greater scheme of manipulation through surveillance to inflict the Party’s power upon the people. The “telescreen… could be dimmed” darkening its presence, to make people feel more comfortable and that they had privacy yet there “was no way of shutting it off completely”. Phones are a modernisation of “telescreens”. Devices that are capable of surveilling someones every move and in turn able to manipulate. Phones can also be dimmed simply by turning the screen off but the haze still remains and “shutting it off completely” will make having phones obsolete. “Telescreens” could not be escaped, everywhere someone went, they were being watched. Every “nervous tic” recorded. This made people become conscious of the movement they made as it became “terribly dangerous to let [their] thoughts wander”. Unacceptable movements were picked up by the Party. It allowed people to be subconsciously manipulated. Being consciously aware of movement subconsciously changed mannerisms to make sure that they acted in a way that was loyal “towards the Party”. Orwell warned that this level of surveillance opens up a dark time for people to be manipulated to fit the actions of the surveiller. Knowing that someone is being watched, manipulates them to act in a way that people in 2019 aren’t enlightened by. Apple admitted in 2017 that their products have “design flaws” that makes the tiny camera and microphone able to be turned on at any moment by someone who knows how. This flaw not only turns the phone into a “telescreen” but also gives access to someone’s calls, texts, emails, and search history that is all documented on phones. People fail to comprehend that this control their phone has could manipulate them to act in a particular way. It’s come to a point where people can’t see past the blinding screens of modernised telescreens. There is expected to be 223 million smartphone users in the US alone. That’s almost 70% of the US population who can be controlled to act like one because their privacy is invaded. If people only knew who was watching, they may act differently. Similar to Oceania with Big Brother watching, mannerisms would change, thoughts would no longer “wander” and a “nervous tic” may now be controlled. Orwell was only able to imagine that it would be governments surveilling to control the public to act in unison but he was wrong. Today people are able to be manipulated by many different people as billion dollar corporations documenting our calls, texts, emails, and search history are the ones who possess this dark power.

Big Brother personified “telescreens”. The idea of Big Brother moved the “telescreens” from being glass on a wall to become a person that watched their every move. This left people to be manipulated. “Big Brother is watching”, the light of their life who they’re meant to “love” and “worship” was watching them. Nobody had met or seen Big Brother but they were drawn to the aura around him to act how ‘he’ would’ve approved. Social media is just the same, on a much bigger scale. There is expected to be 3.48 billion social media users today, with 1 in 4 using Instagram, Twitter or Facebook. Amongst all the different social media outlets, nobody truly knows who will see the pictures they post online. People don’t know for certain that as their follower count go up, that real people are actually following them. This could all be part of a greater scheme of manipulation, for the user to act in a controlled way that would appeal to their alleged followers. People choose to believe it, just like Oceania chose to believe that Big Brother was actually watching them. Drawn to the light of their phone, people don’t just post any photo to their social media, it’s a carefully calculated process to make sure that it seems they have the best life to the eye of the viewer. This is manipulation. People are unable to understand why they feel compelled to look a certain way on social media. They just know that they have to fit in with the ‘guidelines’ of a society controlled by social media. Orwell tried to warn people that the intimidation that someone is there, allows people to be manipulated. In Nineteen Eighty-Four, they consciously monitored themselves to ensure that they were never seen acting in a way that fell out of line with Big Brother. Manipulation of Big Brother didn’t only affect the adults but children were influenced by ‘his’ presence too. Parents felt “proud” if their children “denounced” them for going against Big Brother regardless of the consequences. Social media today surrounds people from a young age. Different ages are all illuminated by the manipulation of social media, making sure that they act in a way that is approved by ‘he’ who is watching. People do not know who is on the other side of the screen, who is seeing and liking their posts or even if there is nothing but a black hole where every post is lost. Yet they all are manipulated to believe that there is someone, a person, their follower, is watching every post. Orwell’s warning isn’t completely applicable today. The idea that it would be a figurehead of the government like Big Brother manipulating people today was wrong. Whoever is watching the billions of people through social media doesn’t have a name or a face but their presence is just the same.

Fake news is dark “untruths” often told through social media. They’re stories that alter facts to suit the writer’s truth. Nineteen Eighty-Fours’ records editors have never been more present than today. People, whose purpose in life was to make “untruths”, truths. “Every record [had] been falsified or destroyed” this process continued “day by day, minute by minute”. Records editors blurred the line of truth so that the people of Oceania could never detect that “the past starting from yesterday [had] actually been abolished”. Records today, have not been “destroyed” but have been “falsified”. Instead of changing all the “untruths” to make one truth, there are many different truths that people are unable to detect because every story contradicts each other. They don’t know which light to follow. The Counceller of the US President, Kellyanne Conway explained they had “alternative facts” when questioned why the press secretary would “utter a falsehood”. These “alternative facts” show how easy “untruths” can be told to create someone’s own truth. They had their facts that lined up to their truth, creating a fabricated story. Altering the dark past or facts to create a lighter truth made it easy for the Party and the White House to manipulate the people. Controlling their knowledge, it made it difficult for people to make judgments about the present. They were manipulated to think one thing based on what they’ve been told, no longer given the freedom of thought. They become vulnerable. Susceptible to have their ‘knowledge’ manipulated to think one truth through the elimination of facts. In 2019, people don’t truly know about the past. The many stories about yesterday and today leave people vulnerable to manipulation tomorrow. The uncertainty of not having one clear truth means people search for one light to follow in a sea of ‘truths’. This searching means people believe fake news based on previous “untruths” they’ve been told. Fake news means people follow fabricated stories, manipulated to believe and follow that ‘truth’. Orwell warned people that not knowing about the past leaves you open to be manipulated. He imagined that there would only be one truth conducted by the government to control the thoughts and actions of the people. The idea of records editors has stretched beyond his imagination. Fake news offers a minefield of truths. People today can be manipulated by many different stories have their thoughts and beliefs controlled by the news source. They’ve ignored his warning that it is easy to manipulate people by disguising “untruths” as truths.

The warning of manipulation in Nineteen Eighty-Four is parallel to modern day technology. George Orwell predicted that the government would create an undetectable dark place of manipulation because people are blinded by the light that “telescreens”, Big Brother and records editors create. He was wrong, today people are manipulated through many different individual powers. “Telescreens”, Big Brother and records editors have modernised to become phones, social media and fake news. People have ignored this warning and now continue to be manipulated towards a time that is darker than Orwell predicted.

You came into my life when I needed you. I was starting out at a new school, a little scared but excited about what the year will bring. You were going to be there for me. Since I was 11, we’ve spent almost every day together. When we first met you were sitting in front of me, you were small and dressed in black that would shine in the light. You were enough, you made me happy. You couldn’t do much back then. We would play the same 3 games and listen to the same few songs. We’d talk to friends while we sat on the bus to go home. We’d take photos although you didn’t have a good camera. But it didn’t matter, we were together. We’d always travelled together, although you always went to sleep on the plane. Even then, you were always available when I was alone or bored. You didn’t mind if I left you behind. For the time we would spend apart, you were still always there from the moment you would wake me up to the moment I told you to sleep. It’s like you would wait for me whenever we were a part. Always sitting where we said our goodbyes.

Then I went to high school and you grew up too. You still had the same personality; fun, helpful with anything I needed and were always there for me. You looked different though, now bigger, wearing white instead of black and were smarter. Way smarter. You were now able to keep track of my time. Letting me know what day it is, what I’m doing and what needs to be done. You suddenly had the best camera and could listen to more music imaginable. You now knew everything that had happened or was happening in the world. It was like you swallowed the school library. You just knew everything. I never understood how you knew, you just did. You could just do more than I could ever imagine. We had way more fun, we would spend long nights talking to each other and others, watching videos and movies, listening to music and you knew how to play even more games. We didn’t spend that much time a part. We became almost inseparable, attached at the hip, together 24/7. I should have realised then, that you were never going to leave.

I then realised you were changing. We began spending less time apart, as you began demanding my attention more often. All to show and tell me the same thing over and over again. I let you come with me when I was out with friends and family but you wouldn’t shut up. Just a fly that wouldn’t go away, buzzing around, that’s all you became, a fly. Always buzzing. I mean please, am I’m allowed to have friends other than you? Lingering right next to us. You wouldn’t leave. Always wanting to be involved. Becoming more obsessive, you started begging to see my food, what I was wearing, where I was going and who I was with. You started to keep tabs on me. Wanting to know where I was at all time. I mean, am I not allowed a life beyond you?

Then you became controlling. It was like someone clicked a button inside of you. We began spending virtually no time apart. You began accessing my entire life like never before. You know passwords, addresses, numbers, and even have my face and fingerprint remembered. You listen to every conversation. Interrupting me every time someone mentions you. Tracking my every move. Knowing exactly how long it takes for me to get to one place from another and how long I stay there for. Targeting me for advertisement. I can feel you watching me. Always watching from a distance. Looking into my life, taking in everything you see and hear, and storing it in your memory. All to tailor and manipulate everything I see, for the benefit of who? You? a stranger? what is all this is for? someone you don’t even know? or is this all meant for me? to make my life better? I mean, sometimes, I feel you need me, more than I need you.

It’s come to the point where I don’t know my life without you. My head always down looking at you, being so dependant on you. My life is you. But, separation anxiety whenever you aren’t around is not how I want to live. I mean what’s all this for? how is this making my life better? All you are doing is controlling and obsessing over me. What is your plan in all this? All the tracking, listening, watching, manipulating, was it to isolate me from everything I…

I’m sorry, I don’t have an answer for that. I would rather talk about our plans for the weekend.

Where are we going to go this weekend? I think we should go to the movies, there’s a new movie. We should then go to dinner, there’s a new restaurant that just opened. Look! there are photos of food! I think we also need some new clothes, like this dress, and these shoes, and this top and look, I saw you looking at this bag. Get this bag.