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1984 is banned in the Soviet Union
Nearly immediately, the book is banned in the Soviet Union, owing to it's critical nature of totalitarianism and authoritarianism, which the upper echelons of the Soviet Union wish to prevent from reaching the masses, so that they do not realise and revolt against the totalitarian rule the Soviet Union has put them under. It is not unbanned until 1988, under the leadership of Mikhail Gorbachev, a more free and open-minded leader. -
1984 is published
Secker Warburg publishes 1984 as George Orwell's 9th and Final Novel. It immediately garners critical acclaim across the world, with people praising it's deep themes and warnings. However, criticism also arises, with some commenting that the book was overly pessimistic and inaccurate. -
The first major tv adaptation of 1984
On the 21st of September 1953, American TV Series Studio One releases and episode titled "1984" on CBS. It is the first major adaptation of 1984 on visual media, and takes course across the entire episode. -
The first movie adaptation of 1984 is released
In 1956, the first movie adaptation of 1984 is produced by Holiday Films Production Ltd., following the script of the 1953 TV adaptation. It received positive reception, with praise directed at it's originality while staying faithful to the general script. -
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The creation of the internet and it's effects on 1984
The creation of the internet allowed people to communicate which each other across vast distances without fuss. Prior to this, people had to send letters or make phone calls, which required time and were unreliable. With the creation of the internet, the ability to communicate was instantly easier and people could now debate on their opinions on topics such as 1984, making opinions more diverse on topics such as these -
The first Russian translation of 1984 is published
After the unbanning of 1988 in the Soviet Union, the book is translated into Russain and begins to be distributed there, marking it's spread into what was considered the authoritarian state Orwell warned people about. -
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The creation of the "internet meme" and it's effect on 1984
In 1993, the term "internet meme" was coined, kick-starting the phase of the internet where information is shared via pictures with funny words. This has inevitably impacted media such as 1984, and it's political message has been twisted into entertainment, as much of the current internet enjoys doing. The original message of 1984, one of anti-totalitarianism, has often been used by internet users to discredit and hate anything they dislike, much like the term "Communist" during the Cold War. -
The creation of the most well-known 1984 meme
On the 9th of January, 2021, conservative editorial cartoonist Gary Varvel released a comic that regarded current US President Donald Trump's Twitter (now known as X) ban due to the January Capitol Riots, calling the ban an act of state censorship akin to the acts performed in 1984. The internet has since ran away with this meme, using it in both serious and satirical ways to mock certain acts by companies or people, or simply to have a laugh. -
The current state of 1984
It has been over 70 years since George Orwell's death, yet his legacy lives on. With the current socio-political state of the world, it can be said some of his worst predictions have come true, and that his final work still holds up in this modern age as a statement against the dangers of totalitarianism and authoritarianism. His work lives on, and will continue to do so as the ever-changing landscape of the internet twists and turns, adapting 1984 into new mediums and giving it new meaning.