REVIEW - THE CIRCLE
The prevalence of the Internet is restructuring our society. In many contexts the monumental effect of the Internet has not openly been addressed, nor have the dilemmas that it creates. We tend to treat Internet related problems with a reactive or 'band-aid' approach. Perhaps the pace of technology means this is all we can do? Whatever the case, Dave Eggers has clearly been pondering these problems and the result is The Circle. His latest novel tells the story of a fictional, not-too-distant future, in which Internet (and almost everything else) provider The Circle has come to dominate life in America - with aspirations of spreading its tendrils all around the world. Certainly, The Circle is a cautionary tale. But it does not feel prescriptive or predictable. In line with Egger's style it is a gripping narrative which raises dozens of ethical dilemmas and philosophical quandaries about our society. The message behind The Circle is not subtle, but neither is it definitive. Although it certainly views the idea of a mega-corporation monopolising the world as a bad thing, it challenges the reader into considering the choices we need to make today, to ensure that reality doesn't eventuate.
The story of The Circle is told through the eyes of Mae - a new recruit to the company who rises quickly through its ranks to become a kind of ambassador for its doctrines. The Circle represents an amalgam of the companies which dominate our lives today. It is the kind of company that would result from Google, Apple and Facebook all merging together. This idea is echoed in the three founders of the fictional company. Eamon Bailey is the visionary. Highly reminiscent of Apple's late Steve Jobs, Bailey's vision is a kind of infocommunist society in which all human knowledge is accessible, and nothing is kept secret (and therefore, nothing is private). Tom Stenton is the businessman and CEO. His "ruthless, capitalistic ambition" is what keeps The Circle turning. Finally Tyler Alexander Gospodinov, known only as Ty is the reclusive boy genius responsible for TruYou, the service on which The Circle is founded. Ty is basically Mark Zuckerberg.
Although the original, admirable, aim of the company was to make the Internet a more civil place by reducing anonymity, Stenton's vicious desire for profit and Bailey's extreme left-wing visions of utopia lead The Circle down a dark path, and Mae soon finds herself having to face the difficult moral dilemma of whether a society structured 'for the greater good' is the right direction for the future.
Reading The Circle has reminded me why I love Dave Eggers - he makes you think in oh-so unconventional ways. So the rest of this 'review' will basically consist of critiques of the ideas he puts forth in The Circle.
Problems with a totally transparent society - Elites
In The Circle, Bailey suggests an extreme mode of digital transparency as 'good': "Secrets are Lies, Caring is Sharing, Privacy is Theft". In the novel, this idea takes the form of politicians and the like wearing small 'SeeChange' cameras around their necks through which their entire lives are broadcasted online. While this idealist notion of transparency is an admirable idea of how a society should function, it is far from practical for humans. It does not account for the fact that an elite is being created - the watched and the watchers. The transparency notion is coupled with ideas of social justice and egalitarianism, but broadcasting everybody's existences would not make them equal. Some people's existences would remain more popular than others, and a large portion of the population's feeds would simply be mirrors of more popular ones. What is the point of processing that much data? A kind of strange Mise en abyme existence would ensue, in which the elite of the most 'interesting' (here, The Circlers) hold power. Experiencing something and consuming it are different. . Only through experience can we define ourselves - the completion of The Circle would deny us this.
The reality The Circle suggests, leaves little room for plurality or diversity. This would surely lead to stagnation. I believe this is one of the fears Eggers attempts to articulate throughout the story. Ideas are born of exposure to a variety of influences and if the world was 100% transparent, it would become very difficult for people to have experiences they perceive as unique.
An additional, and much more serious matter, is that of government. I really do believe that it is necessary for governments to conceal some information from the populace so as to avoid misunderstanding. I am a total advocate for a transparent government, but I do not think I could ever endorse the idea of a 100% transparent government.
Technology leads to a loss of humanity?
Anything related to sex in The Circle seems to have negative ramifications. This seems to act as evidence that digitisation leads us away from our sense of humanity. However, I really do not believe that Egger's conclusion in this book is as simple as 'nature beats technology' or 'social media equals bad'. He goes to lengths to explain many of the benefits of projects instigated by The Circle. He seems to believe that privacy always has a part to play in society. I would add that secrecy is part of what flavours the world. Stories cannot be told without suspense and suspense relies on something being concealed. How are you meant to tell an interesting tale without suspense?
Technological ideas are idealistic, but genius
One of the most genius things about this book is how many really interesting technological ideas (that we are not that far way from being capable of) that Eggers suggests. Demoxie, TruYou, SoulSearch and SeeChange et cetera are all products that have the potential to enhance our society. In the book many of these ideas are taken to undesirable extremes, but this does not negate the merit of the concepts. Demoxie, for example, is an extremely sophisticated, highly integrated, online voting service. It has potential to update voting in government elections and referendums, making them more accessible and relevant to young people.
The novel is highly effective in that Eggers creats a great sense of The Circle. Not only is it masterfully described, but they way he communicates Mae's experiences as part of the company really gives you a sense of the feeling of privilege that is being accepted by The Circle. That glossy shine of consumption that conceals many dark secrets and ambitions is well captured.
It has to be said that this novel feels remarkably more science fiction than all of Egger's other work. Not in the sense that it is super futuristic or stars robot characters, rather in that it posits a question and uses a fictional story to explore the implications of that question in an attempt to answer it - which is what good sci-fi is all about (Dune is the classic example, although Star Trek also does this very well).
Towards the end of The Circle some of Egger's metaphors become a little too obvious for my liking. However, it does not detract from the gravity of the issues he raises. Even if you do not agree with Egger's stance towards social media and the pervasive nature of the Internet, the implications of these technologies really ought to be considered by everyone who uses them and this novel encourages just that.
The story of The Circle is told through the eyes of Mae - a new recruit to the company who rises quickly through its ranks to become a kind of ambassador for its doctrines. The Circle represents an amalgam of the companies which dominate our lives today. It is the kind of company that would result from Google, Apple and Facebook all merging together. This idea is echoed in the three founders of the fictional company. Eamon Bailey is the visionary. Highly reminiscent of Apple's late Steve Jobs, Bailey's vision is a kind of infocommunist society in which all human knowledge is accessible, and nothing is kept secret (and therefore, nothing is private). Tom Stenton is the businessman and CEO. His "ruthless, capitalistic ambition" is what keeps The Circle turning. Finally Tyler Alexander Gospodinov, known only as Ty is the reclusive boy genius responsible for TruYou, the service on which The Circle is founded. Ty is basically Mark Zuckerberg.
Although the original, admirable, aim of the company was to make the Internet a more civil place by reducing anonymity, Stenton's vicious desire for profit and Bailey's extreme left-wing visions of utopia lead The Circle down a dark path, and Mae soon finds herself having to face the difficult moral dilemma of whether a society structured 'for the greater good' is the right direction for the future.
Reading The Circle has reminded me why I love Dave Eggers - he makes you think in oh-so unconventional ways. So the rest of this 'review' will basically consist of critiques of the ideas he puts forth in The Circle.
Problems with a totally transparent society - Elites
In The Circle, Bailey suggests an extreme mode of digital transparency as 'good': "Secrets are Lies, Caring is Sharing, Privacy is Theft". In the novel, this idea takes the form of politicians and the like wearing small 'SeeChange' cameras around their necks through which their entire lives are broadcasted online. While this idealist notion of transparency is an admirable idea of how a society should function, it is far from practical for humans. It does not account for the fact that an elite is being created - the watched and the watchers. The transparency notion is coupled with ideas of social justice and egalitarianism, but broadcasting everybody's existences would not make them equal. Some people's existences would remain more popular than others, and a large portion of the population's feeds would simply be mirrors of more popular ones. What is the point of processing that much data? A kind of strange Mise en abyme existence would ensue, in which the elite of the most 'interesting' (here, The Circlers) hold power. Experiencing something and consuming it are different. . Only through experience can we define ourselves - the completion of The Circle would deny us this.
The reality The Circle suggests, leaves little room for plurality or diversity. This would surely lead to stagnation. I believe this is one of the fears Eggers attempts to articulate throughout the story. Ideas are born of exposure to a variety of influences and if the world was 100% transparent, it would become very difficult for people to have experiences they perceive as unique.
An additional, and much more serious matter, is that of government. I really do believe that it is necessary for governments to conceal some information from the populace so as to avoid misunderstanding. I am a total advocate for a transparent government, but I do not think I could ever endorse the idea of a 100% transparent government.
Technology leads to a loss of humanity?
Anything related to sex in The Circle seems to have negative ramifications. This seems to act as evidence that digitisation leads us away from our sense of humanity. However, I really do not believe that Egger's conclusion in this book is as simple as 'nature beats technology' or 'social media equals bad'. He goes to lengths to explain many of the benefits of projects instigated by The Circle. He seems to believe that privacy always has a part to play in society. I would add that secrecy is part of what flavours the world. Stories cannot be told without suspense and suspense relies on something being concealed. How are you meant to tell an interesting tale without suspense?
Technological ideas are idealistic, but genius
One of the most genius things about this book is how many really interesting technological ideas (that we are not that far way from being capable of) that Eggers suggests. Demoxie, TruYou, SoulSearch and SeeChange et cetera are all products that have the potential to enhance our society. In the book many of these ideas are taken to undesirable extremes, but this does not negate the merit of the concepts. Demoxie, for example, is an extremely sophisticated, highly integrated, online voting service. It has potential to update voting in government elections and referendums, making them more accessible and relevant to young people.
The novel is highly effective in that Eggers creats a great sense of The Circle. Not only is it masterfully described, but they way he communicates Mae's experiences as part of the company really gives you a sense of the feeling of privilege that is being accepted by The Circle. That glossy shine of consumption that conceals many dark secrets and ambitions is well captured.
It has to be said that this novel feels remarkably more science fiction than all of Egger's other work. Not in the sense that it is super futuristic or stars robot characters, rather in that it posits a question and uses a fictional story to explore the implications of that question in an attempt to answer it - which is what good sci-fi is all about (Dune is the classic example, although Star Trek also does this very well).
Towards the end of The Circle some of Egger's metaphors become a little too obvious for my liking. However, it does not detract from the gravity of the issues he raises. Even if you do not agree with Egger's stance towards social media and the pervasive nature of the Internet, the implications of these technologies really ought to be considered by everyone who uses them and this novel encourages just that.
