Page 6 - Cyber Nation: How the Digital Revolution Is Changing Society

A conversation in virtual reality or with a hologram projection of a
friend would likely feel more like being with the person in real life.

The Internet of Things

As virtual and augmented reality technologies bring online experi-
ences into the real world, the Internet of Things (IoT) is bringing
more and more of the physical world online. The original Internet
was like a virtual library, storing information for easy access. The IoT
is more like a brain. It collects, combines, and analyzes information.
The IoT grows as more objects gain connectivity. Most modern
cars come with GPS systems and can pair with the driver’s smart-
phone to provide access to apps. Fitbits and smart watches moni-
tor people’s health and fi tness. Home assistants such as Amazon’s
Alexa take voice commands to play music or make purchases.
In addition, a variety of sensors, cameras, and other monitor-
ing devices continuously collect data from many parts of the real

Big Brother Is Watching

Many people use the phrase “Big Brother is watching” to describe a level of sur-
veillance that feels creepy or invasive. The line comes from a classic science ction
novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell, originally published in 1949. Orwell
imagined a future in which an organization called the Party, led by a mysterious
gure called Big Brother, oversees and controls everything the citizens do. The
Party uses technology and a eet of undercover of cers called the Thought Police
to watch every citizen all the time. It is illegal to act or even think in a manner
counter to the interests of the Party, which fabricates its own version of reality and
its own language, called Newspeak. People are taught not to trust their own eyes
and ears. Instead, as Orwell writes, “Whatever the Party holds to be truth is truth.”
The main character’s job is rewriting old documents, changing these records of
what happened to t the Party’s interests.

Quoted in Michiko Kakutani, “Why ‘1984’ Is a 2017 Must-Read,” New York Times, January 26, 2017. www.ny
times.com.