Dystopia in 1984

In 1984 by author George Orwell, there is a world where three totalitarian super-states are under perpetual war with each other: Oceania, Eurasia, and Eastasia. These three super-states rule under their own ideology of totalitarianism, in which their ideological political system holds total authority over the society and seeks to control all aspects of public and private life whenever necessary. Oceania, one of three super-states and where most of the novel takes place, is a dystopian society ruled by the supposed figure “Big Brother”. Oceania’s upper-class Party called the Inner Party is the ruling Party that wields all the power for its own sake over the inhabitants, meaning the Inner Party rules over the middle-class “Outer Party” and over the lower-class “Proles”. It is uncertain whether or not Big Brother is real or a fictitious character created by the Inner Party. Posters of Big Brother are everywhere throughout Oceania bearing the caption “BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU”, while there are “telescreens” everywhere throughout Oceania monitoring the private and public lives of Oceania’s inhabitants. Living in this type of society restricts independent thinking, sex, individuality, and rebellion against Oceania. Such actions and desires are known as “thought crimes”, and the people committing such thought crimes are illegal so that Oceania’s ideologies are adhered to. George Orwell’s 1984 prophetically depicts a perfect dystopian society that rules over its people.
George Orwell correctly shows that a perfect dystopian society can use technology, which generally is perceived as good, to facilitate diabolical evil. By using technology to take away privacy, the Inner Party would be able to monitor potential rebellion against Oceania’s dystopia. Telescreens and hidden microphones put the populace under scrutiny by the Inner Party officials. Posters that read “BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU” reinforce the purpose of the telescreens and microphones. The Inner Party constantly watches for any sign of disloyalty, to the