In 1949, George Orwell wrote Nineteen Eighty‑Four as a warning about how power could erode privacy, truth, and freedom. Today, the concerns Orwell dramatized aren’t science fiction, they’re unfolding in real time. Digital surveillance and social media influence the likeness is evident. And Immigration enforcement is expanding monitoring tools. The parallels between 1984 and now are too strong to ignore.
Modern Surveillance and 1984
In 1984, Orwell’s “telescreens” monitor citizens without reprieve, ensuring conformity and crushing dissent. Modern analogs aren’t dystopian gadgets hidden in walls. But they’re in our pockets and on cloud servers. Industry‑wide data collection leads to pervasive awareness. Algorithmic profiling contributes to this realization. Social media tracking and government access to digital footprints further suggest that private life is shrinking.
Algorithmic Tracking and Digital Control
Platforms like TikTok and Instagram tailor content and track behavior. This resembles Orwell’s Ministry of Truth, shaping reality for citizens. Corporate algorithms determine what people see, what they think is true, and how they self‑present in public spaces. This isn’t an authoritarian plot, but it functions like one.
Law Enforcement and Social Media Monitoring
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is planning a 24/7 social media surveillance team. The team will monitor public platforms and gather intelligence. This includes potentially identifying targets for enforcement. Civil liberties advocates warn this could chill speech and privacy.
California has introduced tools for residents. These tools allow them to request that data brokers delete personal information. This is a step back from surveillance and toward privacy protection.
Immigration Enforcement and Echoes of State Control
In 1984, dissent is punished and movement controlled. Today, U.S. immigration enforcement has deployed its largest‑ever operations and expanded digital and physical tracking methods.
Expansion of Data‑Driven Enforcement
ICE and related agencies have increased biometric tracking tools. They also plan to unify datasets across federal departments. This aims to build detailed profiles. Advocates have raised concerns about privacy and civil liberties as these systems grow more powerful and automated.
Join the conversation:
What other banned or censored books do you think people should read during times of heightened state and corporate power?
Drop titles and reasons in the comments.
Real‑World Raids and Enforcement Operations
In the past year, several large enforcement operations have unfolded on U.S. soil, including raids in California and Chicago that have resulted in detentions, confrontations, and legal challenges. These events illustrate how state power is exercised in ways that, to many communities, feel like control rather than protection.
Control of Information and Public Perception
One of 1984’s most chilling concepts is the manipulation of truth. History is rewritten. Facts are erased. Language is altered to shape thought. Modern information ecosystems are complex. They often function toward similar ends when disinformation spreads unchecked. Platforms moderate content in opaque ways.
This isn’t a simple comparison. It is an invitation to read critically. Consider who controls narratives. Think about how truth is defined in a world of selective exposure, echo chambers, and algorithmic amplification.
Weaving the Parallels Together
AI and algorithmic profiling, digital data harvesting, and law enforcement’s expanding toolkit are evident. The central tension in 1984, the tension between individual autonomy and systemized control, is alive in 2026. We do not live in Oceania. However, Orwell’s warnings about vigilance, truth, and memory deserve serious reflection.
1984 remains relevant not because history repeats itself exactly. The themes of power, surveillance, truth, and resistance are persistent in any age. This is true where attention is currency and information flows at scale. Reading it now isn’t nostalgic. It is conscious engagement. We attempt to understand not only the world around us. We also seek to comprehend the mechanisms that shape what we think we know.
1984 has something urgent to teach us. You may choose to pair it with intentional reflection. Consider thoughtful discussion or slow‑paced reading. It teaches about watching, seeing, and resisting the subtle pressures that define our moment.
Share with someone you know who:
A.) Is considering reading 1984.
B.) You think would benefit from or resonate with reading 1984.
Or
C.) Likes to read banned books.
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