"Is this real life?"

1. Mutability of the Past
In "1984", the main way that Big Brother is able to stay in control is by changing the past. The government has hired people to rewrite things like books and news articles, in order to prevent people from getting ideas from the past. This process is meant to make people believe that Big Brother knows all and has always known all, and that they are much better off now than in the past. In the real modern world, we now have the technology to go back and erase things from our past, for a fee, of course. You can pay people to scan the internet for any sort of controversial information surrounding you and your life, and have them change it or delete it. The idea is that, in time, no one will remember or be able to find information on the bad things, so you can basically start with a blank slate.

2. No Privacy
We live in a world where we could easily be under constant watch. People can track our activities on the internet, listen to our phone conversations, or place an inconspicuous video camera somewhere. Our level of privacy is going down as greater technology becomes more prevalent. In the same way, the society of "1984" has zero privacy. There are telescreens all around that allow Big Brother to watch people constantly, as well as microphones and spies.

3. Hate
The people of "1984" are made to endure Two-Minutes of Hate every day. Everyone gathers together at the same time in front of a big screen that plays political videos of Goldstein and the Eurasian army. This video is complete propaganda that is used to focus the anger and hatred of the people onto one source. Goldstein is used as a target, so that everyone has one common enemy. In the real world, propaganda is used to trigger the hate in people and direct towards a common enemy so that they are easier to be controlled. Currently, our "Eurasia" is the Middle East and our "Goldstein" is the followers of Islam. We are told horrible stories of terrorists and made to think that Muslim culture is based off of Satan, but really, very few Muslims are extremists, and the religion of Islam is mainly based off of kindness and generosity.

4. Newspeak
Today, just like in "1984", our vocabulary is being dumbed down, and our definitions are becoming more generalized. Phrases like "war on terror" or "collateral damage" (when what is really meant is "civilian casualties"), are current Newspeak words. Through the innumerable abbreviations involved with the texting craze, our vocabulary is being depleted. We defy people by calling them "stupid", rather than pointing out flaws in their arguments. In "1984", Newspeak is used to make people unable to express themselves, especially their dislike for the government, in a coherent manner.

5. Entertainment
In today's world, the government tries to control the people through the media. We are bombarded with celebrity scandals, sports news, and comics, entertainment meant to calm us down and provide relaxation after a long day of work. In "1984", the proles are subdued and brainwashed by the media that is presented to them. They spend their time focusing on the lottery, sports, and porn, rather than researching matters of intellectual concern that could pose a problem to Big Brother.