In 2019, governments quietly rewrite press releases to remove past statements that proved wrong or to add statements to support their present assertions. In 1984, the government constantly rewrites and deletes history that has become inconvenient. Those that dare to mention the name of the digitally departed or criticize their banishment can themselves face being banished and their concerns deleted, ensuring the “unperson” truly ceases to exist. Those banished from social’s walled gardens can have every post they’ve ever written wiped away, every record of their existence banished into the memory hole.

In 2019, social media companies can ban anyone at any time for any reason. In 1984, those who committed particularly egregious thoughtcrimes or had histories of them were banished into nonexistence, all traces of them deleted. Those that commit too many thoughtcrimes are banished to “unperson” status by these same private companies, without any intervention or even in contradiction with the will of the state and without any right to appeal. In 2019, social media companies deploy vast armies of human and algorithmic moderators that surveil their users 24/7, flagging those that commit thoughtcrimes and deleting their violations from existence. In 1984, it was the state that conducted surveillance and censored speech.

Too good to be true 1984