The Circle is a dystopian novel by Dave Eggers, first published in 2013. It explores the dark side of technology, surveillance, and the pursuit of total transparency in the digital age.
The novel’s core ideas are about visibility, validation, and surveillance, which mirror the dynamics that define influencer culture in the 2020s.
Eggers views influencers or anyone seeking visibility in a networked world as standing at a crossroads:
One path leads to empowerment and community. He acknowledges that digital platforms can empower individuals to share ideas, amplify voices, and foster community. The other leads to conformity, surveillance, and loss of self. The pursuit of total visibility, he suggests, becomes a form of digital servitude disguised as freedom.
In The Circle, influence is both light and shadow. It’s a mirror of our modern digital condition.