When it comes to predicting our future, sometimes a dusty novel written years ago, or even banned in its time, can better explain our lives today than complex data analysis. In the history of literature, there are two giant works immortalized as warnings about the future of humanity: Yevgeni Zamyatin's “We” and George Orwell's “1984”.
Many of us are familiar with Orwell's world “Big Brother” figure. But the real origin of this magnificent work is Zamyatin's novel, written in the 1920s in the shadow of the Soviet regime. “We” based on his novel.
In the 26th century, Zamyatin imagined a mathematical prison where people were called by numbers instead of names and everyone lived in glass houses. In a system where privacy is criminalized, “he who has nothing to hide has nothing to hide” logic prevails.
Today, we live a transparent life where we share every moment on social media. “When we think of the world we think of as ”freedom“, it is impossible not to realize that we are actually living in Zamyatin's glass-walled rooms. Orwell takes this picture one step further, with ”tele-screens" watching our every move.” through which he built a surveillance state.
Today, Zamyatin's “Protectors”and Orwell's “Thought Police”, have turned into digital algorithms that monitor us at every moment. We no longer need a statue standing over us; the phones in our pockets have become control tools that can monitor our heartbeat and know what we like before we do. “Big Brother” no longer outside, but directly in the palm of our hands.
The most painful lesson we can learn from reading these two works in today's context is this: The human “mechanizing” every order first takes away his ability to dream. His own “our profile” and turn into numbers, sacrificing our individuality for the sake of digital comfort.
This warning from a century ago sounds louder than ever today. The way to save the future from these dark visions is to put technology at the service of humanity and protect individuality outside the boundaries of algorithms.
Anti-utopia literature continues to ask us the famous question: How much are we willing to give up our freedoms in the name of control? The answer to this question will decide whether our future will be a utopia or a digital prison.