J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel The Lord of the Rings mainly follows Frodo and his quest to destroy the One Ring to stop Sauron from being able to enslave the entirety of Middle-Earth. As the One Ring is being transported to its place of destruction, it becomes clear that many people are becoming influenced by the ring and are willing to try to steal it. The One Ring created a yearning for power for all those exposed to it, therefore expressing a similarity to the corrupting forces of power and money in Shoshana Zuboff’s The Age of Surveillance Capitalism.
Book Two of The Lord of the Rings comes to a close with the Fellowship’s departure from the elven city of Lorien. When the Fellowship leaves, they begin by travelling down a river but do not know what direction to go from there. The human Boromir wanted to travel to Minas Tirith where they can rest, while the others want to continue on to Mordor to destroy the ring. This is the first expression of Boromir’s differences from the group. In the last chapter of Book Two, Boromir confronts Frodo alone and attempts to get the ring from him. Tolkien states that as Boromir tries harder and harder to get Frodo to give him the ring, “his(Boromir) fair and pleasant face was hideously changed; a raging fire was in his eyes” (399). This change in Boromir’s expression is supposed to represent the corruptive power of the One Ring. Boromir says that, by continuing, they are bringing the ring right to Sauron, but he is really trying to get the ring for himself. Boromir is written to be a “good person” in the novel and this drastic hunt for power before he realizes his mistake as he dies later on shows the relationship between the ring and corruption.
Chapter 14 of Zuboff’s The Age of Surveillance Capitalism discusses surveillance conducted by companies such as Facebook and Microsoft. Zuboff, quoting Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, states that “Zuckerberg believes that he and his company can provide a future “that works for everyone” and fulfills “personal, emotional, and spiritual needs” for “purpose and hope”…” (403). The quotes by Zuckerberg that Zuboff references are reflected in the One Ring. The way Boromir acts makes it seem like he needs the ring for “purpose and hope.” The statement that Facebook “works for everyone” is also related, shown in the different ways people act around the ring. Many attempt to seize its power, but others like Lady Galadriel do not want the ring because they believe it will corrupt them. Zuckerberg’s word choice makes it appear that Facebook is a necessity for everyone, which would increase the company’s power. This is just like the One Ring, and shows, like Facebook, the hunt for power often leads to corruption.