"What Orwell failed to predict was that we'd…

“What Orwell failed to predict was that we’d buy the cameras ourselves, and that our biggest fear would be that nobody was watching” is a saying that has been printed on many images. English author George Orwell (1903-1950) predicted surveillance cameras in his dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949). The saying was posted on Twitter by Keith Lowell Jensen Ⓥ on June 20 2013.

Wikipedia: George Orwell
Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950) known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist and critic. His work is characterised by lucid prose, biting social criticism, total opposition to totalitarianism, and outspoken support of democratic socialism.

Wikipedia: Orwellian
“Orwellian” is an adjective describing a situation, idea, or societal condition that George Orwell identified as being destructive to the welfare of a free and open society. It denotes an attitude and a brutal policy of draconian control by propaganda, surveillance, disinformation, denial of truth (doublethink), and manipulation of the past, including the “unperson”—a person whose past existence is expunged from the public record and memory, practiced by modern repressive governments. Often, this includes the circumstances depicted in his novels, particularly Nineteen Eighty-Four but political doublespeak is criticized throughout his work, such as in Politics and the English Language.

Twitter
Keith Lowell Jensen Ⓥ
@keithlowell
What Orwell failed to predict is that we’d buy the cameras ourselves, and that our biggest fear would be that nobody was watching.
11:42 AM · Jun 20, 2013

Twitter
Alex Bodkin ✨
@alenaee
What Orwell failed to predict was that we’d buy the cameras ourselves &that our biggest fear would be that nobody was watching -@keithlowell
11:41 AM · Jun 26, 2013

Twitter
Pink Culture Beat
@PinkCultureBeat
“What Orwell failed to predict was that we’d buy the cameras ourselves, and that our biggest fear would…” http://tmblr.co/ZDh7KuoSyAuh
6:44 AM · Jun 29, 2013

Reddit—Libertarian
Posted by u/pizz_moist November 3, 2013
“What Orwell failed to predict was that we’d buy the cameras ourselves, and that our biggest fear would be that nobody was watching.” -Keith Jensen

Reddit—Quotes
Posted by u/[deleted] May 10, 2016
“What Orwell failed to predict was that we’d buy the cameras ourselves, and that our biggest fear would be that nobody was watching.” - Keith Jensen

The Conversation
Selfie is not a dirty word
Roanna Gonsalves
Published: November 17, 2016 1.53pm EST
(...)
Many would argue this is “a thirst for social media self-aggrandisement”. As the comedian Keith Lowell Jensen tweeted, “What Orwell failed to predict is that we’d buy the cameras ourselves, and that our biggest fear would be that nobody was watching”. We seem to be in an era where social media provides unparalleled opportunity for narcissistic practices.

Twitter
Weird History
@weird_hist
What Orwell failed to predict was that we’d buy the cameras ourselves and that our biggest fear would be that nobody was watching.
7:42 PM · Apr 6, 2018

Twitter
Jonathan Kranz (Rhymes with Pants) 🇺🇦
@i8paste
“What Orwell failed to predict was that we’d buy the cameras ourselves and that our biggest fear would be that nobody was watching.” - Keith Lowell Jensen
@keithlowell
I keep coming back to this not just because it’s so prescient but because it’s become so frightening & true.
4:42 PM · Aug 11, 2019

Twitter
Ase Deliri
@AhsanDeliri
What Orwell failed to predict is that we’d buy the cameras ourselves, and our biggest fear would be that nobody was watching.
3:34 AM · Sep 10, 2021

iFunny
slowPolitics
14 sep 2021
What Orwell failed to predict was that we’d buy the cameras ourselves, and that our biggest fear would be that Nobody was watching.

Twitter
The Based Ninja
@Based_Ninja_San
(The following text is shown on an image.—ed.)
WHAT ORWELL
FAILED TO PREDICT
WAS THAT WE’D
BUY THE CAMERAS
OURSELVES AND
OUR BIGGEST FEAR
WOULD BE
THAT NOBODY
WAS WATCHING
3:21 PM · Mar 6, 2023

“What Orwell failed to predict was that we’d buy the cameras ourselves, and our biggest fear…”