This book is a must read for anyone (me!) who is concerned with our lack of privacy and with the direction that technology is taking us toward becoming a "big brother" society. The premise is that Mae Holland goes to work at an internet company and is soon equipped with a device which gives millions of viewers complete access to her every move, with the exception of a 3 minute span when she can turn the device off when she has a bathroom moment.
The Circle is able to track it's members even to the extent that what is on their pantry shelves is known so that the company store will automatically restock when supplies are low. Mae's ex-boyfriend, Mercer, refers to this control as "central tracking". He also makes a good point of how social media has "elevated gossip, hearsay and conjecture to the level of valid, mainstream communication".
Needless to say, Mercer is against the tools the Circlers use, and tries to distance himself from Mae, who relentlessly pursues him, trying to convince him of the usefulness of the tools. At one point Mercer writes in a letter that soon there will be two groups of people, those who live under the surveillance dome and those who will try to live apart from it.
Eggers' A Hologram for the King was an excellent book, a light hearted look at the world in which technology is taking over our lives. The Circle is downright scary. I think it describes the inevitable result of what our society will look like once transparency and lack of all privacy are the norm.
No comments:
Post a Comment