Filmmaker Plans Bionic Eye To Film Surveillance Society

What does “Orwellian” mean in English?

When people call something “Orwellian,” they mean it feels like the world in George Orwell’s novel 1984 — where the government watches everyone, controls information, and takes away personal freedom. You will see it in news about surveillance, data collection, and censorship. It is a strong word. Save it for serious situations involving control and freedom — not just any security camera.

In the clip, a reporter says the filmmaker is “trying to raise awareness on what he says is fast becoming an Orwellian surveillance society.” The filmmaker himself asks, “Who’s got the oversight of these cameras?” The word comes from English author George Orwell, who wrote the novel 1984 in 1949. In that story, a government called “Big Brother” watches citizens through cameras everywhere and controls what people think. Because of this, journalists and writers now use “Orwellian” when something feels like that kind of total control. A newspaper might write: “Critics called the new law Orwellian.” Or: “The city’s facial-recognition system drew Orwellian comparisons.” You will hear this word in documentaries, news articles, and public debate — less often in everyday conversation.