In 1949 George Orwell was wrong.
Not about his title but he missed entitlement
We aren’t afraid of screens watching us
We are afraid they are not
Fear does not acquire the most compliance or power
It is a brave new culture
Happiness does it just fine
(a discovery Sully makes scaring Boo)
Friends are mere faces scrolling past in digital pictures,
Filtered, of course, Thumb up
Snap, some kids in the sprinklers (heart),
ice cream cone stacked, drippy (like),
and a pile of laundry (sad).
Me, me, meme.
Want to get things stirred up?
Mention politics, the environment, your child’s teacher
(angry face).
There is
No Big Brother peering over your shoulder
He is your digital self, easing into another shot, smile.
No Diana Moon Glampers with an army of handicappers coming
Click, pause, and scroll
All your info is being tallied, chewed and digested,
It is how we show our devotion to our patriarch
Reigning over all there is to know
He sits at the far end of the table
As we feed him with our consumption,
his waste getting bigger.
Measured in output,
in Swift’s term, excrement.
Loosen up the belt oh father
Praise be to Big Data.