He published the novel in 1948. It is believed that he came up with the title by reversing the last two digits of that year, as a symbolic warning about the future.. To download it for free click here
1984 It is not just a criticism of 20th century totalitarianism. It is a work that investigates the mechanisms of power and how these transform everyday life. The figure of the Gran Hermano, although intangible, dominates every aspect of existence in society, turning the State into a permanent watchman. This panopticon that watches and punishes forces citizens to internalize that gaze, becoming participants in their own oppression. Orwell does not simply describe a oppressive regime; builds a system in which individuality is a danger that must be eradicated.
“There was no way of knowing whether you were being watched at any given moment… you had to live with the assumption that every sound you made was heard and, except in darkness, every movement scrutinized.” Let us briefly recall the argument of 1984: Winston Smith is an ordinary citizen who tries to resist the totalitarian control of the Party.
He works in the Ministry of Truth, where he is busy rewriting documents that serve the regime to manipulate History. A longing for freedom, driven by a forbidden love and the dream of a different future, leads him to challenge the established order… But, before continuing, it should be noted that Orwell's novel is a dystopia: there is no room for optimism or happy endings.
The validity of 1984 is renewed in a world where technology has integrated surveillance into everyday life.
Cameras, algorithms and smart devices not only collect personal data, but also influence decisions and behaviors, from our consumer choices to our social interactions. Today, a leader like Big Brother is not needed to impose control.: surveillance has been decentralized and standardized. In this context, Social networks establish a shared voyeurism, where we all participate by exposing our lives and observing those of others, becoming part of the system we observe.
Contestants are called into games, challenges and situations designed to capture viewers' attention. Now that public exposure is both a choice and an expectation, the question seems inevitable: how much of Big Brother is left? Gran Hermano?
A critical approach to the novel and the television programme requires a reflection on the limits of privacy, surveillance and freedom in contemporary society. Someone once said that classics are those books that have the capacity to dialogue with the dilemmas of each era. More than 70 years after its publication, 1984 -perhaps unfortunately- maintains that capacity intact.
Source: INFOBAE