An Intimate View of Privacy: Circle Blog #2

Have you ever thought what a world without privacy would look like?  Well, in the world of the Circle, intimacy has simply ceased to exist. All relationships and interactions are up for display, and societal rules apply in every situation. Even when people are not watching, intimacy still fails to prevail as all actions can retroactively be viewed by anyone. Furthermore, as intimacy begins to fade into the unrealistic, privacy begins to decline until it is deemed unnecessary by society.

A main pattern found in the novel is society's movement towards unlocking the ability to know everything that happens. While this tendency can increase security, it can also reduce privacy and intimacy. For example, most employees of the Circle see social media as a necessary and innovative way to connect individuals and initiate relationships. What the employees fail to recognize, however, is that privacy is destroyed when every action is broadcasted online. In other words, relationships can begin with social media and other outlets, but intimate relationships are also disrupted by the same technology.

When Francis shows his initial interest in Mae, he does so by broadcasting his desire to the entire Circle community. At a company event, he steps onstage as a guinea pig to show how technology can set up ideal relationships. As Francis chooses Mae as his focus, the rest of the company then spends time devising the best ways to achieve a relationship with her. Searching her online profiles and databases, Mae's interests, allergies, and tendencies allow Francis see plan his relationship with her. However, the new technology lacks the ability to let their relationship be intimate. Normal, intimate beginnings of a romance require knowledge to be passed people in person, without everyone in the world watching (Eggers 122).

Another example of how reduced privacy decreases intimacy is showcased when Mae visits her new doctor. With the new technology of wrist and internal trackers, Circle doctors can successfully monitor an individual's health at all times. In terms of health, this is a positive improvement as any variances in key body functions can be recognized quickly and the proper treatment can be administered. On the other hand, as the privacy of medical history is erased, the intimate relationship an individual has with their doctor is also eradicated. Many people do not want the entire world to have access to this information, as bias and judgment can result from this knowledge. This tradeoff shows how much the Circlers overlooked all ramifications when devising new technology (Eggers 154).

Cracks begin to show up when Mae experiences a major online adrenaline rush. As she readies for bed, Mae pulls out her tablet and realizes "she couldn't sleep. Now, thinking about how much better she could do, she logged on again... and pledged to do work until two in the morning" (Eggers 192). Mae's semi-addictive actions of commenting, liking statuses, and interacting with people on social media prove that when intimate relationships with real people deteriorate, these human needs demand to be filled with other forms of interaction. At this point it becomes apparent that the Circlers acts first without asking questions; as they decrease the want for privacy, intimacy decreases right along with it.

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