Unmasking Dave Eggers’ The Circle: Power and Deception in the Modern Tech World

Abstract

In this academic exploration, this research paper delves into the role and repercussions of simulation within the dystopian narrative of Dave Eggers’ “The Circle.” It accentuates the characters’ susceptibility to being beguiled by fabricated realities, leading to a skewed perception of their immediate surroundings. The conceptual foundation of this inquiry draws from the philosophical framework of Simulacra and Simulation developed by the renowned French sociologist and cultural theorist, Jean Baudrillard. This framework furnishes a lens through which to comprehend how technology can engender simulated realms that deviate from the tangible, corporeal world.Through a meticulous analysis of the aforementioned novel, this research elucidates how the corporation’s technological innovations give rise to a seemingly idealized universe that ultimately cloaks a deceptive nature. It scrutinizes the implications of this deception on the characters’ conception of self-identity and self-worth as they find themselves ensnared within a simulation that gradually erodes their individuality and autonomy. Furthermore, this study unearths Dave Eggers’ strategic deployment of simulated social media networking as a vehicle to critique the perils of surveillance capitalism and the deceptive veneer of complete transparency in the contemporary world, which has forfeited its genuineness and uniqueness in its relentless pursuit of acknowledgment and validation of human existence.