IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH - Social Media Comparison
In this interactive activity, students connect Nineteen Eighty-Four to today’s political and media landscape. Using curated articles, real social media examples, and video clips from countries like Russia and North Korea, students analyze how information is shaped, shared, and sometimes manipulated.
Working in teams, students identify key Orwellian concepts—such as doublethink, propaganda, and control of truth—and apply them to modern examples, including pro-Trump and anti-Biden messaging online. Through discussion and debate, they evaluate whether these examples truly reflect Orwell’s warnings or if the comparison is overstated.
The activity culminates in a collaborative “Orwellian Courtroom,” where students defend or challenge claims using evidence from both the novel and real-world media. By the end, students gain a deeper understanding of how power, language, and information interact in both authoritarian systems and democratic societies.
Articles
Read the following articles for our class discussion and your written assignment.
George Orwell’s 1984 Literature Unit
“If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face—for ever.”
