“BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU”: A FOUCAULDIAN STUDY OF PANOPTIC SURVEILLANCE IN ORWELL’S 1984

Abstract

This research conducts a Foucauldian study of George Orwell’s novel 1984 by employing the concept of panoptic surveillance on the novel. It examines how the telescreens, Big Brother, thought police and Ministry of truth have been used as panoptic tools in the novel to create a controlled and obedient society. This study examines how the conscious humans are turned into passive, submissive docile bodies by the hands of authoritative structures. The Qualitative research approach, particularly close reading method, has been used to conduct this research, focusing on the sections of the novel that illustrate the themes of surveillance, control, manipulation and power. The aim of this research is to understand the connection between control, surveillance and power and to scrutinize how the digital monitoring and algorithmic control in the contemporary digital world has made it convenient for ruling powers to manipulate people and control their minds.  The study reveals that the environment of constant surveillance negatively impacts the psychology of individuals, forcing them into submission and conformity. By conducting the Foucauldian reading of novel 1984, this study contributes to the contemporary debates on visibility, control, digital monitoring, privacy, surveillance and internalized discipline.