If Orwell walked into 2026, would he be shocked or would he just say "I told you so"?

Professor Nathan Waddell's answer surprised me: initial horror, then quick recognition. But the part that sticks - he thinks Orwell would struggle to understand how easily we surrender our privacy.

We're not being forced into surveillance. We're choosing it. We mine our own data, hand it over, then buy back curated versions of ourselves.

Animal Farm didn't need telescreens. Just control over what gets repeated and what gets forgotten.

The question isn't whether the spaces for kindness and mutuality still exist. It's whether we're willing to fight for them.

Link to full conversation in the comments.