by Paul Rance

Created on: November 23, 2011   Last Updated: November 24, 2011

Technology was used in '1984' for nefarious purposes at worst, or, at best, as a way of suppressing dissent. 

Television as a Propaganda Machine 

Television, as it is known today, was utilized in '1984' as a propaganda machine to subdue the masses. It was the medium that could best display what was good about Big Brother, and what was evil about Emmanuel Goldstein.

Televised broadcasts in '1984' were made via telescreens, and they had the chilling capacity of being a two-way device. 

Forever Watched 

Telescreens were used to make sure that the population adhered to the party line, and privacy was something hard to find in the world of Big Brother. Every word Winston Smith uttered in his own home was picked up by the telescreens - unless he whispered. He could be seen, too. The telescreens also made it virtually impossible for any organized shows of dissent to take place. Any suspicious, sizeable gathering would have been nipped in the bud by the Party. 

In '1984', television was a way in which not only good and bad were distorted, but it was also a tool that the Party could use to make itself look, inadvertently, foolish when switching sides. Even when friendly and enemy states changed without rhyme or reason, the masses were expected to accept this without explanation. The word of the State meant that it was always right, and that there was no need to question it.

Other forms of technology were used to help contribute to society. Winston Smith used a speakwrite machine to record his work, but even this seemed another method of spying on people. A bored sigh could well be looked upon by the Party as a show of dissent towards the Party itself.

The Crushing of Individualism 

One of the most depressing uses of technology in '1984' was the versificator. It created the art, music, and movies for the masses to be pacified by. But there was no sense of individualism in what was created, as this was music created by committee. So, to complete the drab world of '1984', everything that was artistic was reduced to something that could not be seen in even a tiny way as a threat. 

The general populace in '1984' are brainwashed into believing that there was nothing to fear about being watched. It was only those who were enemies of the State who would object in the first place. Consequently, the cameras and telescreens watching everyone were blindly accepted by the masses in '1984'. 

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