Regardless of differences, human beings dream of a perfect world, a utopian world, with characteristics that may differ from the Utopian image in individual minds. Technology development has made it possible to see in real world some aspects of individual's dreamt world. Today, tasks and activities that were once unthinkable are now part of individual's lifestyle, such as traveling from hemisphere of the world to the other in less than 24 hours and maintaining communication 24/7 via platforms like social media. These are examples of how the usage of technology assist with the simplification of people’s lives. However, the integration of electronic into everyday tasks is concerning as there is an increasing dependency on these as they are needed for getting things done at work/school, paying bills, and maintaining the safety of thousands of flights.
In the 21st century real world, there are CCTV cameras on every street corner, Alexa Eco from Amazon, speed cameras, etc. for everyone’s comfort (and discomfort), safety, and even entertainment. With these gadgets, citizens are being monitored 24/7 as it is the case of Oceania's citizens in the novel 1984 by George Orwell. These few examples resemble Big Brother watching everyone in 1984, without any clear justifications. Big Brother is not only monitoring people's behavior and their lives, but he is also controlling their decisions and thought processes. One way of doing that is with Oceania's "Minitrue", the government department in charge of altering the truth about the past, present and future of the citizens.
In the real world, there is a “Minitrue” always present both in governments and communication platforms. Countries like North Korea, Venezuela, China, Russia, and Cuba all have some form of “Minitrue” as the citizens’ knowledge of the world outside their countries is limited, supervised by their governments, and altered to benefit their governments only, while hiding the truth of the citizens’ reality. On the other hand, today, there is social media that can be utilized to entertain, connect, and inform people if it is done correctly. Nevertheless, the common or viral content on social media is mainly entertainment, or even “fake news” that spreads quickly and the users believe it as the absolute truth. That was the case with the conspiracy theories regarding COVID19. This distortion of truth keeps people confused and with no knowledge of the truth that should concern them about their reality, and it is exactly what happens with “Minitrue” in 1984.
Despite this, the 21st Century people have something in their favor that Oceania does not; liberty and willingness to avoid becoming into the dystopian world of 1984. The terrible events occurred during the pandemic reemphasized the importance and the power of technology. Therefore, every person with access to technology is even more powerful when it comes to act in the betterment of the world such as volunteering as an English tutor for Ukranian students in the middle of the war or finding ways to support and provide any aid to those affected by the war.
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