Episode Title: Going Full Transparent: Tech Culture & Surveillance in The Circle (2017)

Episode Summary: In this episode of Celluloid Circuits, I break down the tech-saturated world of The Circle (2017), a film that explores the blurry line between innovation and intrusion. Continuing the privacy vs. transparency thread from last episode’s Anon, we unpack how social conformity, corporate overreach, and the relentless pursuit of “going transparent” shape a society teetering on the edge of dystopia.

From SeeChange cameras and SoulSearch tracking to TruYou’s single-sign-on identity monopoly, we explore the real-life counterparts of these technologies and ask the big question: Are we already living in this world?

Topics Covered:

• Privacy is Theft? Deconstructing The Circle’s core ideology
• SeeChange & the erosion of anonymity
• SoulSearch and crowdsourced surveillance
• TruYou and the death of online anonymity

Tech Concepts Discussed:

• AI facial recognition and surveillance
• VPNs and online privacy defense
• Single Sign-On (SSO) infrastructure
• Peer-to-peer and 5G data transmission

Favorite Quote from the Episode:

“If you don’t think transparency is bad, remember Mae is only allowed three minutes in the bathroom by herself.”

Mentioned In This Episode:

• Anon (2018), Circle (2015), The People’s Temple (for a dash of dark humor)
• VPN use, and the late, great Bill Paxton

Join the Conversation: Are we already living in The Circle’s world? Let me know what you think on socials or at riosdoesit.com

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The future is only a reel away.