1984

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• Carola Aramburu
• Stephanie Rojas
• Natasha Fernandez
• Melanie Sequeira
• Milena Galván
• Martina Castillos

The role of the media information and communication technology

1984

Introduction

In George Orwell’s novel “1984,” the influence of media and communication technology occupies an important place in a society ruled by a totalitarian regime. Set in a future world dominated by The Party, these tools become instrumental in shaping the lives of its citizens. The Party use the potential of media to disseminate propaganda, manipulate public opinion, and exert control over thoughts and beliefs.

Orwell thought that Totalitarian societies and specially the one portrayed in the novel wanted to turn humans into machines, to replace the organic by the inorganic, to create synthetic happiness by eradicating all that may evoke natural passions and personal inclinations. What they want in this state is to all buildings to have walls of glass so that the actions of the occupants are visible. The author believed that totalitarianism and the corruption of language were connected. He focused especially on political language where you distorted events and concepts by calling them something else. You said things in such a way that you avoided producing an inner picture of them.

Definition of ICT:

Information and communications technology ( ICT ) is an extensive term for information technology (IT) that emphasizes the role of unified communications , the integration of telecommunications (phone lines and wireless signals), and computers , as well as the necessary software , middleware , storage , audiovisual systems and audiovisual production , which allow users to access, store, transmit and manipulate information .

Thought Control: The Party utilizes media and communication technology to exert strict control over people's thoughts and beliefs. It creates an atmosphere of constant fear and paranoia, making individuals hesitate to express or even harbor rebellious thoughts.

Propaganda: The Ruling Party, known as The Party, uses media and communication technology as powerful tools for disseminating propaganda. The government controls all forms of media, such as the telescreens installed in every citizen's home, through which they broadcast propaganda messages.

In George Orwell's novel "1984," media and communication technology play a significant role in the portrayal of a dystopian society governed by a totalitarian regime. Here are five key aspects:

Newspeak and Doublethink: One of Orwell’s most important messages in 1984 is that language is of central importance to human thought because it structures and limits the ideas that individuals are capable of formulating and expressing. If control of language were centralized in a political agency, Orwell proposes, such an agency could possibly alter the very structure of language to make it impossible to even conceive of disobedient or rebellious thoughts, because there would be no words with which to think them. Newspeak is a simplified version of the English language created by the Party to limit freedom of thought. By narrowing the range of vocabulary and controlling language, The Party aims to restrict people's ability to articulate dissenting ideas. Newspeak was characterized by the elimination of certain words and the excessive use of abbreviations.

Orwell also believed that early in the twentieth century abbreviations and acronyms were part of political language. It was especially widespread in totalitarian countries and organizations. Doublethink is another concept in the novel, wherein individuals are trained to hold contradictory beliefs simultaneously, thereby accepting and embracing Party propaganda without question. It requires using logic against logic or suspending disbelief in the contradiction.

By means of telescreens and hidden microphones across the city, The Party is able to monitor its members almost all of the time. Additionally, the Party employs complicated mechanisms (1984 was written in the era before computers) to exert large-scale control on economic production and sources of information, and fearsome machinery to inflict torture upon those it deems enemies. 1984 reveals that technology, which is generally perceived as working toward moral good, can also facilitate the most diabolical evil.“If thoughts can corrupt language, language can also corrupt thoughts.”At work, in the comforts of their own home, even in the countryside or giant plazas and marketplaces, Oceanians cannot expect privacy. The Party's use of advanced surveillance technology is only one of the methods it employs to ensure and ascertain control.

Control of Information: The Party controls and manipulates all information available to the public. Through media censorship and rewriting historical records, they shape the narrative to fit their own agenda. The Party does not allow individuals to keep records of their past, such as photographs or documents. As a result, memories become fuzzy and unreliable, and citizens become perfectly willing to believe whatever the Party tells them. By controlling the present, The Party is able to manipulate the past. And in controlling the past, The Party can justify all of its actions in the present.

Another bit of technology is the “memory hole“–the means of disposing of all waste paper, including all documents to be destroyed in the course of their work. It is described in the book as “a large oblong slit protected by a wire grating.” Anything placed in one of these would “be whirled away on a current of warm air to the enormous furnaces which were hidden somewhere in the recesses of the building.” Today, the words “memory hole” are used in everyday conversation. For example, someone might say, “down the memory hole” to describe forgetting something they were supposed to remember. “I tried to remember what he said, but it just ended up down the memory hole”. It is commonly used for erasing emabarrassing images, messages, etc.

The surveillance of its constituents by The Party is necessary for its self-preservation because it affords The Party the ability to eliminate potential subversion early on. It is the most important element of The Party's tools. The telescreens also monitor behavior—everywhere they go, citizens are continuously reminded, that the authorities are scrutinizing them. Children were carefully brainwashed from birth to report any suspected thought criminal.

Overall, media and communication technology in "1984" serve as powerful tools for surveillance, propaganda, and thought control, enabling The Party to maintain its authoritarian rule and suppress individuality and dissent. It highlights the dangers of an all-powerful state manipulating information and controlling the narrative to subjugate its citizens.

Here are two quotes that appear on the book, which make reference to technology:

“In general, you could not assume that you were much safer in the country than in London. There were no telescreens, of course, but there was always the danger of concealed microphones by which your voice might be picked up and recognized; besides, it was not easy to make a journey by yourself without attracting attention.”

“The Party employs science and technology to curtail human freedom and privacy, and to control human behavior.”

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Conclusion

Media and communication technology serve as powerful tools in the novel to maintain control over the society. Propaganda, surveillance, censorship, and the manipulation of information are all employed to suppress individuality, shape public opinion, and ensure the dominance of The Party. Through telescreens, Newspeak, and the rewriting of history, The Party exerts its authority over citizens’ thoughts, beliefs, and even their perception of reality. The novel serves as a stark warning about the dangers of unchecked power in controlling media and communication technology, emphasizing the need to safeguard freedom of expression, independent thought, and the pursuit of truth.

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