Telescreens are two-way video devices that appear in
George Orwell
Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950) was an English novelist, poet, essayist, journalist, and critic who wrote under the pen name of George Orwell. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to a ...
's
dystopia
A dystopia (lit. "bad place") is an imagined world or society in which people lead wretched, dehumanized, fearful lives. It is an imagined place (possibly state) in which everything is unpleasant or bad, typically a totalitarian or environmen ...
n novel ''
Nineteen Eighty-Four
''Nineteen Eighty-Four'' (also published as ''1984'') is a dystopian novel and cautionary tale by the English writer George Orwell. It was published on 8 June 1949 by Secker & Warburg as Orwell's ninth and final completed book. Thematically ...
''. Omnipresent and almost never turned off, they are an unavoidable source of propaganda and tools of surveillance.
The concept of the telescreen has been explored as a metaphor or allegory for the erosion of privacy in
totalitarian regimes
These are examples of purported totalitarian regimes. They have been referred to in an academic context as "totalitarian", or the concept of totalitarianism has been applied to them. Totalitarian regimes are usually distinguished from authorita ...
, as well as in the modern era in the context of Internet- and cellular-based devices that allow for the surreptitious collection of individuals' audiovisual data, frequently without their explicit consent or awareness.
Telescreen function
All members of the Inner Party (upper-class) and Outer Party (middle-class) have telescreens in their homes, but the proles (lower-class) are not typically monitored as they are deemed inconsequential to the Party’s agenda. As later explained in
Emmanuel Goldstein
Emmanuel Goldstein is a fictional character and the principal enemy of the state of Oceania in George Orwell's 1949 dystopian novel ''Nineteen Eighty-Four''. The political propaganda of The Party portrays Goldstein as the leader of The Br ...
's book of which
Winston Smith Winston Smith may refer to:
People
* Winston Smith (artist) (born 1952), American artist
* Winston Smith (athlete) (born 1982), Olympic track and field athlete
* Winston Boogie Smith (born ), American man killed by law enforcement in 2021
* Wi ...
reads some excerpts, the Party does not feel threatened by the Proles, assuming that they would never rebel on their own, and therefore does not find a need to monitor their daily lives. Telescreens are also located throughout the workplaces of Party members, and more are positioned in busy public areas of London. It is unclear whether they can be used anywhere else in Airstrip One (
Britain
Britain most often refers to:
* Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales
* The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...
) other than London; the novel at one point suggests technical limitations, forcing the Party to use hidden microphones and patrol units for surveillance purposes in the countryside.
The character
O'Brien claims that he, as a member of the Inner Party, has the exclusive privilege of being able to turn off his telescreen (although etiquette dictates only for half an hour at a time). While the programmes could no longer be seen or heard, the screen still functioned as a surveillance device, as after Winston is taken into the
Ministry of Love
The Ministry of Truth, the Ministry of Peace, the Ministry of Love, and the Ministry of Plenty are the four ministries of the government of Oceania in the 1949 dystopian novel ''Nineteen Eighty-Four'', by George Orwell.
The use of contradictor ...
, the audio of his meeting with O'Brien with the telescreen "off" is played back to Winston. It is likely that Inner Party members are permitted to fully turn off their telescreens but O’Brien most likely kept the microphone on to expose Winston and Julia as Thought Criminals. In contrast, the Outer Party Members are strictly prohibited from turning off their telescreens. Winston, a member of the Outer Party, can only turn the volume on his telescreen down but likely not mute the sound.
The screens are heavily monitored by the
Thought Police
In the dystopian novel ''Nineteen Eighty-Four'' (1949), by George Orwell, the Thought Police (''Thinkpol'' in Newspeak) are the secret police of the superstate of Political geography of Nineteen Eighty-Four , Oceania, who discover and punish '' ...
. However, it is not clear how many screens are monitored at once, or what the precise criteria (if any) for monitoring a given screen are (although it is seen that during an exercise programme that Winston takes part in every morning, the instructor can see him). As the book notes:
Telescreen cameras do not have
night vision
Night vision is the ability to see in low-light conditions, either naturally with scotopic vision or through a night-vision device. Night vision requires both sufficient spectral range and sufficient intensity range. Humans have poor night v ...
technology, thus, they cannot monitor in the dark. This is compensated by the fact that their microphones are extremely sensitive, and they are said to pick up a heartbeat that could imply the most subtle dissidence towards the party.
In addition to being surveillance devices, telescreens are also televisions. They broadcast
propaganda
Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded l ...
about Oceania's military victories, economic production figures, spirited renditions of the
national anthem
A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European ...
to heighten
patriotism
Patriotism is the feeling of love, devotion, and a sense of attachment to one's country or state. This attachment can be a combination of different feelings for things such as the language of one's homeland, and its ethnic, cultural, politic ...
, and
Two Minutes Hate
In the dystopian novel '' Nineteen Eighty-Four'' (1949) by George Orwell, the Two Minutes Hate is the daily period during which members of the Outer and Inner Party of Oceania must watch a film depicting Emmanuel Goldstein, the principal enemy ...
, which is a two-minute film of
Emmanuel Goldstein
Emmanuel Goldstein is a fictional character and the principal enemy of the state of Oceania in George Orwell's 1949 dystopian novel ''Nineteen Eighty-Four''. The political propaganda of The Party portrays Goldstein as the leader of The Br ...
's wishes for
freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The rights, right to freedom of expression has been r ...
and
press
Press may refer to:
Media
* Publisher
* News media
* Printing press, commonly called "the press"
* Press TV, an Iranian television network
Newspapers United States
* ''The Press'', a former name of ''The Press-Enterprise'', Riverside, California
...
, which the citizens have been trained to disagree with through
doublethink
Doublethink is a process of indoctrination in which subjects are expected to simultaneously accept two conflicting beliefs as truth, often at odds with their own memory or sense of reality. Doublethink is related to, but differs from, hypocris ...
.
Though rationally aware that the telescreen is just the means by which a human being can see them or talk to them, the psychological effect of them is such that Orwell's characters often tend to personify the telescreen and think in terms of the telescreen speaking to them or watching them, rather than any of the individuals using it. Moreover, the telescreen's omnipresence in private and public life significantly affects the behaviour of the characters. Winston, for example, makes a regular effort to not arouse suspicion from anyone who may be watching him through the telescreen. The novel describes his setting "his features into the expression of quiet optimism which it was advisable to wear when facing the telescreen," and notes that when Winston turns his back to it, "...as he well knew, even a back can be revealing."
Origin
Jeff Prucher listed the first use of the term, as "tele-screen", in a short story by
F. Flagg, ''After Armageddon'', in ''
Wonder Stories
''Wonder Stories'' was an early American science fiction magazine which was published under several titles from 1929 to 1955. It was founded by Hugo Gernsback in 1929 after he had lost control of his first science fiction magazine, ''Amazing Sto ...
'' in 1932. The word "telescreen" appears occasionally in the early science fiction novels of
Robert Heinlein
Robert Anson Heinlein ( ; July 7, 1907 – May 8, 1988) was an American science fiction author, aeronautical engineer, and naval officer. Sometimes called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was among the first to emphasize scientific acc ...
, published in the late 1940s - roughly concurrently with Orwell's book. As used by Heinlein, "telescreen" denoted simply what is now called "television", with none of the Orwellian sinister connotations. By the 1950s, the wide publicity of Orwell's book precluded further such usage.
Orwell's novel was written in 1947–1948. The telescreen he created was based on some already existing technologies (see
history of television
The concept of television is the work of many individuals in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Constantin Perskyi had coined the word ''television'' in a paper read to the International Electricity Congress at the Exposition Universelle ...
), although the first
surveillance cameras
Closed-circuit television (CCTV), also known as video surveillance, is the use of closed-circuit television cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place on a limited set of monitors. It differs from broadcast television in that the signal ...
began to be sold in the United States only in 1949, shortly after the publication of the novel.
According to the Canadian literary scholar
Thomas Dilworth
The Reverend Mr. Thomas Dilworth (died 1780) was an English cleric and author of a widely used schoolbook, both in Great Britain and America, ''A New Guide to the English Tongue.'' Noah Webster as a boy studied Dilworth's book, and was inspired p ...
, Orwell, inventing telescreens, might have been inspired by the film
''Modern Times'' directed by
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is considered o ...
, where a device recording and receiving an audiovisual signal was shown. Dilworth noted that the theme of using
subliminal messaging
Subliminal stimuli (; ' literally "below" or "less than") are any sensory stimuli below an individual's threshold or limit for conscious perception, in contrast to stimuli (above threshold). Visual stimuli may be quickly flashed before an individ ...
through the telescreen is also reminiscent of the theme of using
hypnopedia
Sleep-learning or sleep-teaching (also known as hypnopædia or hypnopedia) is an attempt to convey information to a sleeping person, typically by playing a sound recording to them while they sleep. Although sleep is considered an important period ...
on children in
Aldous Huxley
Aldous Leonard Huxley ( ; 26 July 1894 – 22 November 1963) was an English writer and philosopher. His bibliography spans nearly 50 books, including non-fiction novel, non-fiction works, as well as essays, narratives, and poems.
Born into the ...
's ''
Brave New World
''Brave New World'' is a dystopian novel by English author Aldous Huxley, written in 1931, and published in 1932. Largely set in a futuristic World State, whose citizens are environmentally engineered into an intelligence-based social hier ...
''.
Another inspiration for the telescreen could come from the 19th-century idea created by philosopher
Jeremy Bentham
Jeremy Bentham (; 4 February Dual dating, 1747/8 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S. 5 February 1748 Old Style and New Style dates, N.S.
5 (five) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number, and cardinal number, following 4 and preceding 6, and is a prime number.
Humans, and many other animals, have 5 digits on their limbs.
Mathematics
5 is a Fermat pri ...
– 6 June 1832) was an English philosopher, jurist, and social reformer regarded as the founder of mo ...
of a
panopticon
The panopticon is a design of institutional building with an inbuilt system of control, originated by the English philosopher and social theorist Jeremy Bentham in the 18th century. The concept is to allow all prisoners of an institution to be ...
- a prison whose design would allow the prison guards to observe all prisoners, with the inmates not knowing if and when they are being watched.
Analysis
The telescreen is basically the only significant futuristic technological gadget in Orwell's book.
Telescreens also appear in later works, such as the film ''
Equilibrium
Equilibrium may refer to:
Film and television
* ''Equilibrium'' (film), a 2002 science fiction film
* '' The Story of Three Loves'', also known as ''Equilibrium'', a 1953 romantic anthology film
* "Equilibrium" (''seaQuest 2032'')
* ''Equilibr ...
'' by
Kurt Wimmer
Kurt Wimmer (born 1964) is an American screenwriter, film producer and film director.
Biography
He attended the University of South Florida and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, BFA degree in Art History. He then moved to Los Angeles, wher ...
(from 2002), where their use is no longer a technological novelty, but rather a "retro-quote" referring to Orwell's work.
Telescreens have been described as an allegory or metaphor for informers in
communist countries
A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state in which the totality of the power belongs to a party adhering to some form of Marxism–Leninism, a branch of the communist ideology. Marxism–Leninism was ...
or, more broadly, of the loss of privacy in
totalitarian states
Totalitarianism is a political system and a form of government that prohibits opposition from political parties, disregards and outlaws the political claims of individual and group opposition to the state, and completely controls the public sph ...
.
Nowadays, telescreens are compared to, among others, a television surveillance system, TV sets controlled by voice commands that collect data (both actual commands and private conversations) for analysis on servers, modern
cellphones
A mobile phone or cell phone is a portable telephone that allows users to make and receive calls over a radio frequency link while moving within a designated telephone service area, unlike fixed-location phones ( landline phones). This radio ...
, and other devices that allow people to collect audiovisual data, including the
Internet
The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...
itself.
Peter Huber notes that for Orwell, electronic media is ugly, oppressive and mind-numbing, and that Orwell believed that they would significantly empower those in power who would be given more and more opportunities to spy on citizens. Huber, however, consider Orwell's argument to be wrong, pointing out that progress in the field of communication technology, including the Internet, is progress towards the technology of freedom, and the level of freedom of society increases with the development and popularity of these technologies. Similarly, Richard A. Posner writes that Orwell approached technology too pessimistically - in his book, the television (telescreen) is a tool for spying and indoctrination, while in fact this medium became an educational tool reducing the elite's monopoly of power.
On the other hand,
Lawrence Lessig
Lester Lawrence "Larry" Lessig III (born June 3, 1961) is an American legal scholar and political activist. He is the Roy L. Furman Professor of Law at Harvard Law School and the former director of the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics at Harvar ...
gives Orwell some credence, arguing that a fictitious telescreen is less intrusive than today's
Internet
The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...
; similarly,
David Brin
Glen David Brin (born October 6, 1950) is an American science fiction author. He has won the Hugo Award, Hugo, writes that the process of privacy erosion cannot be stopped, but it can be counterbalanced by monitoring monitors on a double telescreen basis, where those who monitor us can also be monitored.
See also
*
Mass surveillance
Mass surveillance is the intricate surveillance of an entire or a substantial fraction of a population in order to monitor that group of citizens. The surveillance is often carried out by Local government, local and federal governments or intell ...
*
Propaganda
Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded l ...
*
Panopticon
The panopticon is a design of institutional building with an inbuilt system of control, originated by the English philosopher and social theorist Jeremy Bentham in the 18th century. The concept is to allow all prisoners of an institution to be ...
*
Talking CCTV
References
{{Nineteen Eighty-Four
Fictional elements introduced in 1949
Nineteen Eighty-Four
Fictional technology