1984 Compared to Today: Comparison of Technology in the Book and Today

¨It was the Police Patrol, snooping into peopleś windows… only the Thought Police mattered.¨ (P.6) In the novel 1984 by George Orwell, people do not have privacy with the Thought Police always watching them. People do not feel safe knowing they are always being watched. It may even make them feel uncomfortable. America's society in 2019 is becoming dangerously close to Orwellś Oceania in 1984, because it is having the same thing with people and the government watching you, expect now itś through either your smartphone or laptop.

At length, the surveillance technology of today is more advanced than back in 1984ś technology. Tv back in 1984 had something in it where people were watching you and you had no privacy. People were freaked out about this because they thought it was very unnecessary for them to do this. It totally affects their privacy. This means that people can no longer trust buying a tv without feeling uncomfortable. This matters because people have their right to have their own privacy.

Furthermore, stores use cameras to catch people that steal from them. “It was all caught on camera… in 2017, a woman entered a store in Cornelius, Oregon, stashed a $130 pair of boots in her purse, and walked out.” (p.7) This means that the cops get this information and catch the person that stole. This matters because stealing is bad. The more cameras that are in stores, helps catch the people who steal from others.

At last, cameras are not always a good thing. Cameras can take control of people’s privacy. It’s not only cameras in stores but there are many ways the government can be watching you. In addition, your phone for example is a way the government can take control of your privacy. They can look at you through your phone’s front and back camera at all times. In the novel 1984, it talks about the television screen is a way of how people are being watched at home. But, in today’s world you carry your phone with you everywhere you go, so now you are being watched constantly other than just at home.

In conclusion, looking at all of this, it shows that we have no privacy whatsoever. The government is taking control of our rights of having privacy. It is scary to think about the fact of always being watched. As you can see, our privacy has been taken away much more rather than back in 1984. But, in a way this can be good for safety reasons. This may be able to protect us from something bad happening.