====== Dave Eggers: The Circle ====== **What is this?** The following are are my unstructured study notes for the novel “The Circle” by Dave Eggers (Paperpack Edition, Penguin 2014, ISBN 978-0241970379). The notes were created with classroom discussions in mind about the consequences and implications of increasing social-media use. So you can take them as they are but need to put in some more work before they can be used in class. //— Andreas Kalt// ===== Mini-Camera presentation (p. NN) ===== * discussion about the implications ===== LuvLuv presentation, Mae’s Information gets shown on the stage (p. 117) ===== * Discussion about the difference between individually posted information and aggregate information * Research: What of that is already possible today? ===== Discussions with Mercer (p. 130, p. 257 ff) ===== * Mercer argues that social media have changed people for worse, has turned people into teenagers * Discussion about this position ===== Serious talk about Mae’s participation (p. 175 ff) ===== All voluntary, but at the same time socially enforced ===== Delusion of control through superficial numbers (p. 191 ff) ===== ===== Congresswoman wears a camera at all times (p. 205 ff) ===== * “to go transparent” ===== Subtle feeling of pressure and coercion (p. 211 ff) ===== * Talking to Kalden, he disapproves of the constant camera on the congresswoman * Mae is reluctant to leave without being seen by her supervisors * Before she goes with Kalden she takes a few pictures and posts them to show herself being social (p. 217) ===== Energy needs of data storage (p. 220 f) ===== * environmental implications of widespread use of digital devices and cloud storage ===== Talk with Eamon Bailey — privately and on stage (p. 276 ff) ===== * Slogan in three Parts (p. 303). Cf. George Orwell: 1984 ===== Mae is transparent (p. 307 ff) ===== * Mae talks to her viewers (p. 309) — vlogging? * Mae is not transparent – she is used as a marketing device. * Later: her parents’ home is also transparent (p. 323) ===== Completion (p. 311) ===== * Ideas of completion (fulfilment?) – hopes to find in an online service what one can’t find in real life ===== Keeping up appearances (p. 322) ===== * When you’re always being watched you have to fake appearances and turn to your inside world for recreation → also cf. George Orwell: 1984 ===== Private meetings (p. 335) ===== The leaders of the health companies meet in private — why? ===== Student measurements (p. 342 f) ===== * Illusion that complete measurement of learning will improve learning or even improve personal skills of students. * “Where was this 20 years ago? My kids would have gone to Yale” ===== Mae goes to Francis’ dorm room (p. 378) ===== * Francis is sorry that he recorded the sex that the two of them had, “I couldn’t believe that I was with you. And there was some part of me that assumed it would be the only time. I wanted to remember it” – Is recording something really the best way of remembering a special moment? → smart phone photos everywhere, cf. quote: > „Monde und Jahre vergehen, aber ein schöner Moment leuchtet das Leben hindurch.“ > > — Franz Grillparzer ===== Mae learns about some people’s negative opinion and meets Annie (p. 410) ===== * Narrative perspective: stream of consciousness? ===== Mae is completely taken in by the ideology ===== * Even Mercer’s death and Annie’s breakdown don’t make her question it