Circle of Desire

Horrible characters with zero development or believability. Should have stopped listening, but I'd gone too far. It's laughably bad, idek who this would be for. Maybe it was less dumb in 2013, who knows. 

The Circle is an interesting read, especially for anyone in tech.

Premise: online social networking meets 1984 in the quest for ultimate knowledge.
Spoiler: it doesn't go well.

First of all, I enjoyed reading the book and couldn't put it down. Eggers has a unique mind, and I've read several of his other books. This is a quick read and I'd definitely recommend it.

My main thought/question after this book:
- Technology impacts everyone's lives. As we chase our micro “success metrics,” it's important to step back and consider what implications there are for society as a whole. What does this look like day-to-day?

Also, don't watch the movie. It sucks.

“...what if we all behaved as if we were being watched? It would lead to a more moral way of life. Who would do something unethical or immoral or illegal if they were being watched?”

A significant majority of our planet's residents has access to the Web. This has been the way for decades now. We were provided with a great instrument in the everlasting search for knowledge. Everything is there for us to grasp. By pushing a button, a key in the keyboard, by touching a screen, knowledge that would fill millions of pages lies before our fingers and eyes. We use it for entertainment. Films, TV series, books, photos, games...you name it. We use it to establish, sustain and, perhaps, reheat relationships. That beloved friend from school is found via Facebook and a friendship of the past is rekindled. Our other half travels to the USA, to Russia, to China and we can still see him and talk to him because Skype is there for us and suddenly, the distance becomes less painful. (True personal story...) Online dating, dubious and dangerous as it is, provides a solution for a large number of lonely hearts.

The police forces worldwide can prevent crime (or so they claim...) by tracking a terrorist or a pedophile in the Net. We constantly let glimpses of ourselves be shown to people far and wide. We share our lives and others allow us to have a glimpse of their own. But we do it out of our own free will, we are responsible and ought to be aware of the traps that are spread in the vastness of the Web. So what happens when we're watched against our choice? Or eerily enough, when we are brainwashed to accept this as a virtue, a holy obligation, a twisted notion of belonging, of service to the welfare of the global community? What happens when everyone's lives become transparent and everyone can interfere to a citizen's life and choices in the four corners of the world?

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to The Circle, the Orwellian future that isn't so distant anymore....

“All That Happens Must Be Known”

Mae is an aspiring graduate who has just found the job of her dreams. She is required to reply to people's questions in an efficient but personal manner. She's constantly evaluated and watched by fellow workers and by supervisors alike. Soon, she finds out that her participation in social media is mandatory. She HAS to attend parties, activities, she HAS to have friends, followers, likes. She HAS to post photos, comments. Nothing should remain hidden, because this is a service to the global community. Mae falls victim to brainwashing and succumbs. The thought that she plays a significant role to the alteration of the world is firmly rooted in her brain. And from then on, an avalanche follows....

“To Heal We Must Know. To Know We Must Share”

In our society, few things are sacred anymore. One of those things that are truly our own is medical record. In Mae's world though, there is no such thing. Every health issue, past and present, must be known. Every ailment of theirs and their family members' must be shared, because how is an illness going to be defeated if there is no information available? In this nightmare, pain becomes a spectacle, discrimination over health condition is tangible.

“Privacy Is Theft”

Why keep everything private if you have nothing to hide? For the Circle, privacy means lies. It signifies that you have a tendency for isolation and depression. It means that you have the potential to become a criminal. And society must persuade you to join in by every means possible. You're not allowed to keep secrets, you need to become everyone's friend whether you like it or not.

As you can see, this novel is terrifying. It offers so much to think on in relation to our present and future societies. I admit I felt uncomfortable while reading it, noticing that much of what it describes can be traced in our daily lives. First of all, Eggers knows how to create anticipation. From the very start, despite the happy, humane, welcoming atmosphere, you can feel that something's amiss. The mellow voices of Mae's supervisors cannot hide the patronizing tone, the smooth way in which they offer threats covered with honey to attract the naive victim. There are obviously traces of Orwell's 1984 in the story. The creation of new words (TruYu, SeeChange), Eamon's political references, the tiny cameras located everywhere, the workers that cheer and clap in unison as if hypnotized.

Having said that, I feel that this was the major disadvantage of the book. I think that Eggers tried too hard to create a 1984 version for the new millennium so the effort was too obvious and the result of lower quality since it cannot be compared to Orwell's masterpiece. The similarities seemed forced because after all, Eggers may be a talented author but Orwell he is not.

The writing itself is quite good, but the dialogue is a really weak point. In my opinion, the language used by the Circle members is almost soulless, cold. Perhaps in the particular environment it is to be expected, but there were conversations between Mae and her parents or her friends that were cringe worthy. The second half of the book quickly becomes redundant, repetitive. The chapters towards the end, however, are harrowing. The mob's lust for blood, Mae's naivety that turns into malice create a kind of darkness worthy of a true dystopian universe.

The characters won't be up for any awards. Mae receives a lot of hatred and at first, I was thinking that she may be naive and frustrating but perhaps we judge her too harshly. We all want to satisfy our employers, especially in a new job and whoever claims the opposite is a big liar. At least, she seems kind and caring. These were my initial thoughts. But during the second half of the story, her behavior reached a whole new level of stupidity. I just couldn't stomach how blind and dumb she was. Frankly, it seemed implausible. Her parents, Mercer, Frances and Kalden were equally flat and annoying. Anne had some potential but for me, the most fascinating character was Bailey. He almost persuaded me, you know...That is how you create an effective villain.

The debate over the presence of cameras in every street all over the world after the 9/11 attacks, Security Vs Privacy is an ongoing debate, discussed again and again with the two sides having equally strong arguments. How we are brainwashed to think that a number of “frowns” and “smiles” would influence the actions of a democratically elected government, not to mention a regime...It's what I call (and it may sound too harsh and cynical) “The Keyboard Rebels”.

So this would be a 4-star read, but the similarity to 1984 made it less original and influential, in my opinion. And naturally, the writing -although mostly satisfying- lacked power and magnetism. However, I urge you to read it and think. Think where our world is heading. Think why it seems as if we're all aboard a train that moves in an incredible speed without brakes....

A sci-fi story so relevant it could be misconstrued as nonfiction, but it's obvious that Eggers' searing desire to warn his audience about the consequences of an overly connected society upstages his capacity to craft a plot-dense, character-rich narrative.

Definitely has a decent point to make, but it will beat you over the head with it for 500 pages.

We live in an age of escalating surveillance–one in which personal privacy is increasingly rare, and more and more of our lives are shared publicly on the Internet. So perhaps it's no surprise that The Circle, by Dave Eggers, takes things a few steps further with his novel, introducing us to a very Google-like company named The Circle, in which they are at the forefront of technology, with seemingly endless resources available to make their bold visions a reality. The Circle's goal is to capture all human knowledge and make it available to the masses. But this type of all-encompassing information-gathering comes with a high cost.

The Circle by Dave EggersThe Circle focuses on Mae Holland, a newly-hired employee, as she begins her career with the technology company. It's immediately obvious that The Circle is an analogy to modern-day Google, with its over-the-top benefits, campus-wide parties, and nearly anything employees could desire available to them–day or night. As Mae settles into her new position, she's overwhelmed by how lucky she is to be part of this amazing group, especially after spending her first two years out of college working in a drab cubicle at a utility company in her tiny home town. She not only feels incredibly lucky to be part of The Circle, but somehow undeserving of the job. The first few chapters are a whirlwind of introductions to resources available on the campus, and to how much information the company collects–and expects their employees to contribute. At first, the comparisons to Google are obvious, but the novel quickly moves beyond even what Google currently provides, into a different level entirely. Oddly, this is both one of the novel's strengths, as well as its weakness; as more and more statistics get introduced, it nearly overpowers the narrative of the story, becoming instead a list of social media “to-dos”, rather than a functional story.

Much of the book is spent introducing concept after concept; TrueYou, SeeChange, ChildTrack, SoulSearch, PastPerfect, Demoxie, and countless other names are thrown around, with each new program introducing increasingly pervasive levels of surveillance, until there's no such thing as privacy any longer. Politicians are forced to wear cameras at all times, streaming their entire lives to the world, or face persecution for failing to do so. All of these programs are well-intentioned, but the ramifications of them are far-reaching and disturbing beyond measure. Indeed, a totalitarianism is hinted at, as politicians who voice criticisms of The Circle suddenly are found to have child-porn on their computers, or some skeleton in their closet–buried in their past–is suddenly uncovered, leading to their ruin. Perhaps these events are coincidental, but people seem to accept the explanations as fact. After all, The Circle is incapable of fault, right?

What makes this novel so intriguing isn't the outlandish invasions of privacy that The Circle is able to obtain, but that Eggers paints a portrait of Orwellian society in-the-making–one that is all too believable, considering the current state of technology. Already, today's Internet companies have extraordinary access to data, and the ramifications of this is just beginning to come to the public consciousness. The Circle takes current events just a little bit further, and serves as a cautionary tale to show what might happen if these companies' aren't reigned in before it's too late.

Despite the intrigue, the novel does have its share of faults. The main character, Mae Holland is rather naive,and her idealism leads the reader to question her sanity from time to time. It's often a frustrating read, to have the author point out more and more disturbing revelations, only to have Mae rationalize things and accept the latest egregious assaults against civil liberties. She seems forgetful of things that are rather crucial, and even cold-hearted as she turns her back on her past to embrace The Circle wholeheartedly. Eggers introduces so many concepts and spends so much time detailing how many ‘screens' the characters use, that it sometimes feels like a diary of going to work each day–albeit at an amazingly generous company–to the point of feeling mundane. Entire plot points get left out, like the treatment of her father's illness, and their lack of participation in the newest programs of The Circle. There are times it's particularly unbelievable that society as a whole is embracing what The Circle has to offer, yet they seem to do so–in increasing numbers.

Despite its shortcomings, however, The Circle is a must-read novel, if only to highlight the strange nature of today's society, and how the information we share can be used. Internet companies probably know more about us than we do ourselves, and the more we share, the more they learn about not only us, but our friends and loved-ones as well. It's a thought-provoking adventure into a what-if future. It's one of today's 1984-style novels that should be read, discussed, and argued. After all, that's what makes a good book transcend the genre and become a great book.