The movie version of The Circle is out staring Tom Hanks and Emma Watson. The original novel by Dave Eggers is a creepy portrayal of both the pervasive influence, and the growing threat, of an all-powerful social media environment.
The Circle is the name of a powerhouse social media network community which seems to be a combination of Google, Facebook, Twitter, and Amazon all rolled into one overwhelming entity.
When Mae Holland gets a coveted job at The Circle headquarters, she is awestruck by the perfectly conceived design of the corporate campus and the perfectly aligned functions of the Circle operating model.
At The Circle, community joining and total sharing is the ultimate value above all else. Complete transparency of all individual lives of Circle members is required. Accepted Circle wisdom is:
All that happens must be known.
Secrets are lies.
Privacy is theft.
As Mae Holland gets ever more deeply immersed into her life within the Circle network, it becomes her only self-reality. But there are consequences. Meanwhile, the influence of The Circle over all aspects of human lives continues to grow exponentially. The goal is that every person on the planet must be required to have a Circle account. The Circle plan for absolute watching and knowing is being put into motion, as Mae eventually learns.
The Circle is a timely and chilling dystopian depiction of an insidious social media presence that in many respects is already here.
Sunday, April 23, 2017
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