How to Personally Defeat Big Brother
And Turn George Orwell's 1984 World on its Head ...

George Orwell's 1984 is the story of a "future" society where individualism has been eliminated, where propaganda is used to control the masses, and where perpetual war is being waged to maintain the peace. It's a world where false is true and wrong is right, where history is constantly being rewritten - and where Big Brother watches your every move.

But even in the middle of this totalitarian "utopia", there is one man - Winston Smith - who dares to question authority, and who seeks to make a life for himself.

The parallels between our modern world and that of George Orwell's 1984 are uncanny. The Ministry of Truth, the Thought Police, the political manipulation of language to distort reality, the hidden censorship of political correctness - and the war on terror, all echo George Orwell's 1984. So much so, that reading the news headlines often makes 1984 seem disturbingly prophetic.

Orwell's 1984 is ultimately a depressing story. Winston Smith, the hapless hero, believes he is thwarting Big Brother - particularly when he meets the character O'Brien, whom he believes to be a member of the underground resistance lead by Emanuel Goldstein.

But in the end, Winston is simply a pawn in a vast conspiracy. A conspiracy which cheats him of his love, Julia, and ultimately of his own sanity - when he is incarcerated in the Ministry of Love, and finally subject to the horrors of Room 101.

Orwell's 1984 is a chilling read for sure, and implies that the omnipotent state will ultimately win. However, even as Winston Smith lives out his days in diminished manhood, he clings on to one idea - that if there is any hope at all, it lies with the proles.

Now, the "proles" were the ordinary people - the masses, the great unwashed. These people were cannon fodder - and largely ignored by the powers that be. Smith's hope was that one day the proles would "wake up" - and in so doing, would - by force of numbers - sweep away the vast illusion of totalitarian state power.

Orwell lived before the internet was even conceived. In 1984 the TV screen is a medium of one way communication - from Big Brother to all the subjects of IngSoc. And it would be interesting to know what Orwell would have made of the emerging world culture that is the internet.

Make no bones about it, the internet is a revolutionary tool. It is a first in the history of mankind. Never before has there been a medium of communication, which links the whole world - and where ordinary individuals can both read and say whatever they like.

In George Orwell's 1984, the ordinary people were completely subjugated because of the state's control over information. The control was so total, that even history was constantly updated in order to square with the current "party line".

In contrast, the internet bypasses the state information apparatus. On the 'net, one has access to non-official news sources and opinions. It is literally impossible to censor the bulk of what goes on online. The internet also provides a communication medium for other freedom-promoting technology - like the digital camera. Previously, news images were the sole domain of the professional media. Not any more. Now, anyone, anywhere, can upload a photo and have it visible to the whole world in minutes.

In this way, the modern aspiring "total" state has serious competition - because it cannot fully control the flow of information - as was the case in Orwell's 1984.

The internet is also changing the nature of relationships. Pre-internet, people identified with the traditional groupings of family, society and nation. But these historic bonds are being loosened, as people forge new alliances and relationships via the internet. Relationships based on commonality of interests, values and beliefs.

As ordinary people (the proles), have increased access to uncensored information, and find themselves making connections with people from all over the globe - it becomes more and more difficult for any state to micro-manage the lives of its citizens. They have lost control of the information so vital to maintaining control over people. It may not be far off, before the "proles" wake up - and insist that the Emperor has no clothes.

So, where to from here?

In George Orwell's 1984, the road ended in Room 101. But in the real world - the world as it is - you have the opportunity to take a different road.

Which road will you take? Click Here to find out.

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