Technology sees all: surveillance and control in 1984 and the Circle

Abstract

Technology plays a big part in our daily lives. George Orwell wrote dystopian novel 1984 where technology is used to control the people and to make them behave like the government wants them to. Dave Eggers wrote the Circle fifty years later. This thesis tries to answer the question how technology is used in both novels to control the people and enforce power. To come to an answer, the first thing that’s done is look at the historical and political context of both novels. Secondly, Bentham’s Panopticon is discussed in relation to both novels to show how surveillance and control takes place. Thirdly, a close reading of both novels is conducted to illustrate similarities and differences between them. The conclusion and discussion of this thesis shows that the answer to the main question is different for both novels, but that in both novels communicative technology is used to control the people and that the idea of the Panopticon is realized through using cameras instead of an actual building. In the discussion, the question whether the Circle is actually a ‘true’ dystopian novel or more a satirical utopian novel is discussed. Further research might find an answer to this question.