Big brother is watching: Orwell's '1984' continues to resonate 70 years on

Written in 1948, and published the following year, Orwell's '1984' depicted a chilling future world in which a totalitarian state controls people's thoughts and actions, suppressing any dissent. Photo: AFP

Seventy years after its publication, George Orwell's classic dystopian novel 1984 continues to fascinate readers, in particular youngsters growing up in a social media-dominated age of increasing angst.

"Some students are very shocked by it, and remain shocked by it," said Michael Callanan, an English teacher and director of the Orwell Youth Prize, which supports political expression amongst young people.