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 wallpaperingâ€
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.