Big Brother People Live Surfing Internet Man Allowed

The "notion" (idea or concept) of "Big Brother" comes from Nineteen Eighty-Four, a novel written by George Orwell in 1948. It is about the future year 1984 and a man who works for the Ministry of Truth in a "totalitarian" (very controlling) government. People are surrounded by posters of Big Brother with "captions" (the words that describe a photograph) saying, "Big Brother is watching you." The man's job is to rewrite history so that it "matches" (is the same as, or goes along with) the government's policies, so that the government always appears to be correct.

The Thought Police monitor what people are thinking, saying, and doing. Any anti-government thoughts must be hidden. If they are "discovered" (found), the people will be "arrested" (put into jail). The man is very good at hiding his "rebellious" (anti-authority) thoughts, but one day he falls in love with a woman, which is not allowed. Their relationship is eventually discovered and they are both "brainwashed" (made to think a certain way) into loving Big Brother.

The book made the idea of Big Brother and constant "surveillance" (being watched) very "commonplace" (well known). In fact, a television show called Big Brother began in 1999. In the show, a group of "strangers" (people who do not know each other) live in a house together and are not allowed to have any contact with the outside world. They are filmed all the time and their actions are shown on TV. In most of the versions, the "housemates" (people who live together in a home) vote each week to decide who should be "evicted" (not allowed to live in a place anymore). The person who is left at the end wins money and other prizes.