If what happens in Dave Egger’s latest novel The Circle actually comes true, we’re in deep trouble. In the near future, The Circle is the largest technology company in the world, combining all social media into one. When Mae is lucky to get a dream job there, they have only begun the process of “closing the Circle”. With seemingly good intentions, the Circle seeks to eliminate privacy, with millions of willing participants. As Mae rises through the company, she tells her millions of followers “Privacy is Theft” and “Secrets are Lies”. The public has a right to know, and see everything everyone does. Because, if we see everything and there are no secrets, there will be no more crime, no missing children, nothing forgotten or lost. Sounds wonderful, right?
Margaret Atwood recently wrote an interesting review in the New York Review of Books