wat does Big Brother mean? ive heard people use that term when it comes to computers, internet, isp, fileshari

Answer 1

it is the government

Answer 2

The name/concept was first introduced in George Orwell's novel 1984, which he wrote in 1948 and was intended to be a warning against the various forces of totalitarianism that were in play at the time. In the novel, Great Britain is known as Airstrip One and is in an alliance that obviously includes the USA (there are three main blocs in the world and they keep fighting and changing alliances, etc.).

Airstrip One was headed by a tyrant known as Big Brother (this is probably a play on the fact that Stalin was known colloquially as 'Uncle Joe' although in truth he was terrible. Everybody had to love Big Brother, and the society was so organised that there were regular organised sessions of adoration of BB, and the 'five minutes hate' for whoever was the current enemy. One of BB's capacities was that every living space contained a 'telescreen' through which everybody could be watched and spied upon - that's the root of the connection with spying and being spied on.

In the novel, the main character - Winston Smith - falls in love with a woman named Julia (love is, of course, forbidden) and they find a secret trysting place; except that it isn't, they are discovered and Winston is tortured until he really does believe that he loves Big Brother.

Incidentally, the place where torture takes place is known as Room 101 (there's the television programme of the same name) and what is in Room 101 is - for whoever's being tortured - the worst thing in their particular world.

Hope that helps. The novel is well worth reading.

Answer 3

It's been well established by the 3 dozen or so other answerers that what the concept means and where it originated.

Often lost in the discussion is what Orwell meant by "1984". Most assume that he foresaw the tyranny and dystopia described in the book occurring in some far-off time (40 years after he wrote the book).

However, Orwell was projecting/seeing elements of the government control he described in the book in his contemporary, post World War II England.

It is said that he originallly planned to title the book "1948" (the year it was written), but thought it would be too incindiary and alarmist. So rather than create a social commentary on the then-current governemnt, he created a "science-fiction" novel set in the far-off future.

Where is Big Brother today? And who is he watching?

Answer 4

Good question! Big brother is what the media use to feed on the paranoia of the masses. Am i being watched? Will i go to jail for what i think? The internet has been developed from a military system to enable government to continue after a nuclear attack, which would have destroyed communications. So, obviously the military must still be able to know everything that goes on over the internet - the cia and gchq in the Uk have very large bunkers full of mainframes collecting every email, text message etc and sift for subversive references. This answer will show up. Taliban . There you go, it definately will now, ha! I'd say if you don't want big broth to know your business - don't put it in an email, say it over the phone or mention it in a chatroom etc - talk face to face, accepting the room might be bugged - arh paranoia!

Answer 5

I don't know exactly what it means in connection to computers or internet but basically its derived from the George Orwell book "1984". In this book everyone is watched by 'big brother' which is a government which moniters thier every move. It is very strict and of course today, illeagal. When it come to computers it might mean somethign like hacking or something of the sort. Im not much of a computer whiz.

Answer 6

Its pretty much any highlevel government or other (potentially secret) agency, that some believe follow our everymove. Just like the way that the government was looking for Will Smith in Enemy of the State; cameras on every corner, GPS system constantly running, Satelite pictures being taken all day everyday. now of course not to that extent. But that if they wanted to they probably could.

The Term Big Brother; meaning the extent of (just like in a family) the Big Brother is always Watching over the smaller ones! In this case the Smaller Siblings would be Just about anybody in the U.S.

Answer 7

In 1984, drawing upon its experience with the Lisa, Apple next launched the Macintosh. Its debut was announced by a single national broadcast of the now famous US$1.5 million television commercial, "1984", based on George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. The commercial was directed by Ridley Scott and aired during Super Bowl XVIII on January 22, 1984. Jobs' intention with the ad was to equate Big Brother with the IBM PC, and a nameless female action hero portrayed by Anya Major with the Macintosh. While it initially sold well, follow-up sales were not particularly strong. The machine's fortunes changed with the introduction of the LaserWriter, the first laser printer to be offered at a reasonable price point, and PageMaker, an early desktop publishing (DTP) package. The Mac was particularly powerful in this market due to its advanced graphics capabilities, a side-effect of the GUI, and it can be said that the combination of these three products are responsible for the creation of the DTP market. As DTP became widespread, Apple's sales reached a series of new highs.

Answer 8

Your question serves to prove my point: the Politically Correct whackos have dumbed down the education system something fierce. You should have read George Orwell's "1984" way before now. That's where the term "Big Brother" came from. An all-seeing, all-caring supreme political entity that controlled everyone's life. Orwell is not well-liked by the liberal fascist establishment because he's one of their harshest critics. Get a copy off Amazon and read it thoroughly. And a little Franz Kafka wouldn't hurt either. Read "The Trial", for starters.

Answer 9

The term "Big Brother" originates from George Orwell's book "1984". It is a good book, and I recommend it highly. The government in the book was always watching. The people had television sets that were two way, where the broadcaster's could watch the people. Big Brother even prosecuted people for "thought crimes", crimes that haven't been committed but thought. Big Brother was everywhere! The posters read "War is Peace / Freedom is Slavery / Ignorance is Strength / BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU!"

Answer 10

The term comes from the book Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell. In the novel "Big Brother" was basically the government or controlling party of the land and they put up posters of a face and the caption something to the effect of "Big Brother is watching". The people in the novel had every aspect of their kives observed, even at home through their tvs, and if anyone did anything contrary to what "Big Brother" said then they disappered.

Answer 11

The term Big Brother is an imaginative character from the novel 1984 written by Geroge Orwell. Big Brother was always watching Winston (the main character) every move. So in relating to computers, people who hack other people's personal information is Big Brother. The computer system have "cookies" which the Big Brother can use to steal our personal information if he/she wants to.