The London 2012 organising committee has announced the roll out of the UK’s largest-ever network of public giant screens. The network will be funded by private partners and the national lottery, and will include permanent structures in the centre of six large towns around the country.
The total network will be nearer 30 LED screens by the time the 2012 Olympics arrive, but what has been interesting is the reaction of portions of the press to what is being termed the “digital wallpapering†of the UK.
Whilst the Olympic organisers argue that the screens will provide town centres with a lasting legacy from the games, opponents have drawn comparisons with George Orwell’s vision of 1984, in which the public are subjected to information 24hrs a day with no way of switching it off.