*Film stills from IMDB.com in the 1984 entry.

Why do people believe in this conspiracy? Technology, or more specifically digital technology. And that’s not to say that the digital technologies we use today are wonderful and important (I still can’t remember how I possibly survived prior to getting a smartphone!) It’s also not to be assumed that the actual piece of the technology itself is to be blamed for the conspiracy.

However, with the advent of new technologies and our new However, with the advent of new technologies and our new dependence on them, there are endless ways to how we use them. The same tools we rely on to make our lives convenient can be used to control us and monitor our daily lives.

We are walking a thin line when it comes to this conspiracy. We are walking a thin line when it comes to this conspiracy. We know for a fact that subliminal messaging can and has been used just as we know that the government can monitor our internet experience. The conspiracy then is whether or not this technology is beneficial or is actual harming us.

In 1949, George Orwell published the dystopian satire title In 1949, George Orwell published the dystopian satire title Nineteen Eighty Four, in which society was ruled by a totalitarian government, The Party, and figure headed by “Big Brother” (who may or may not actually exists). This particular novel acts as a good example of what people who believe these conspiracies fear. This is a government that rules its society using propaganda to instill fear and then monitoring the action of all of its citizens. This was the concern of many the action of all of its citizens. This was the concern of many citizens when street cameras began to be installed in different cities around the world; are they beneficial or are they an invasion of privacy1.

For many the likelihood of our government turning into this 1984 totalitarian government seems impossible; even if the technology exists to make it possible. But there is a scarier outcome.

A few years prior to 1984, in 1932, Aldous Huxley published A few years prior to 1984, in 1932, Aldous Huxley published Brave New World, another dystopian society in which society was overwhelmed with pleasure, leading to the government being able to control them2. Huxley’s depiction of society is much closer to how we live now.

Journalist, Christopher Hitchens makes the comparison Journalist, Christopher Hitchens makes the comparison between the two books; “Orwell feared those who would deprive us of information. Huxley feared those who would give us so much that we would be reduced to passivity and egotism...Orwell feared we would become a captive culture. Huxley feared we would become a trivial culture, preoccupied with some equivalent of the feelies, the orgy porgy, and the centrifugal bumblepuppy.”3 Not surprisingly, porgy, and the centrifugal bumblepuppy.”3 Not surprisingly, a lot of people have made similar conclusions when it comes to technology.

Letter from the Editor: