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Big Brother and His Connection with Media

    To be honest, when I heard the mentioning of "Big Brother" in this novel, I was not taken aback or somehow affected in a scared way. Rather, I thought of the CBS show, Big Brother. I wondered, is this book where they got the inspiration for the name? Initially, I thought that it was just a weird coincidence, but as I read on, I realized how similar the show and the concept/identity of Big Brother are. In my opinion, this concept from the book inspired the entire show, and the name directly.
    For those who are not aware, Big Brother is a reality show involving about 20 individuals living in the same house for weeks and competing for $500,000. The house that the contestants live in is not any ordinary house. It is specially built on a set not only to keep the public out, but to completely isolate the houseguests from any outside information. Also, there are hundreds of live television cameras viewing every inch of the house. The houseguests must be wearing microphones at all times. If a houseguest does not wear their mic pack or break any other rules, they will be called out by Big Brother. Repeated actions will cause them to be expelled from the house and kicked off the show. 
    To me, this was a really big fangirl moment. I never knew that a show that I had watched for years had a connection with and inspiration from a book. My question for others is, where do you see the inspirations or impacts of this book in our world currently or in the past?

Comments

  1. L. MoffittFebruary 11, 2021 at 7:24 AM

    Yes, this is in fact exactly where they got the idea for the show! (Ironic that people actually volunteer to be watched by Big Brother, but then there's the money aspect, so, yeah.)

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  2. Rani RamrattanFebruary 11, 2021 at 7:29 AM

    When I saw the name this is what I thought of immediately and the show has changed over the years but it's interesting to think people will endure constant surveillance for the chance to win a cash prize.

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  3. Charlotte EbelFebruary 11, 2021 at 7:30 AM

    This is such an interesting connection! It sounds like a horrible show to be on, though. What immediately comes to mind when you ask about impacts of 1984 in our current world is the term "Orwellian", which has been thrown around a lot lately. I say "thrown around" because it seems like the people who use this term aren't very familiar with the society in 1984. However, the comparison of our current day to the dystopic society in 1984 scares a lot of people, so using the term "Orwellian" has become a great fear tactic.

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  4. AnyaFebruary 11, 2021 at 7:54 AM

    I'd never heard of this show before, but now I'm intrigued. To answer your question, I think that 1984 has a very interesting impact on society. Even now, people bring it up every so often whenever something bad happens. 1984's society is often regarded as the quintessential dystopia and people often regard it as a warning about what could happen to our society in the future.

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