The three mantras of The Circle pose as powerful and terrifying statements. Although they are intensely abided by at The Circle, the thought of living our real lives by these mantras is frightening. As we progress into a more technologically advanced world, these mantras become a little more real. We seem to be on the path to transparency—but there must be a limit. We cannot let our society progress to the point of The Circle for our own sake.

At The Circle, secrets are nonexistent. Transparency and the SeeChange are taking over. They display the most intimate details of people’s lives for the whole world to see. The pressure for those who had not gone transparent at The Circle became “oppressive.” Authorities began to ask, “If you aren’t transparent, what are you hiding?” (241). In this sense, secrets are absent. With a constant recording of people’s every action, nothing is omitted and everything is seen. This reflects the first mantra, “Secrets are lies.” Before the SeeChange, Mae was confronted about not participating in online activities and groups. She was criticized for not joining a group for kayaking and even for not joining a group for people who had loved ones with multiple sclerosis. By keeping her personal life a secret, Mae was considered to be lying—however, lying by omission. She was considered to be leaving out facts that could end up creating misconceptions.

The second mantra, “Sharing is caring,” displays itself in a both positive and negative light. When Mae visits Dr. Villalobos for a health visit, she shares intimate details about her dad’s health. Immediately, Dr. Villalobos tells Mae that she can add her father to the company plan—which would infinitely improve her parents’ quality of life. Mae thinks to herself, “Was it possible… that their constant battles with insurance companies actually diminished her father’s health and prevented her mother from working, eliminating her ability to earn money to pay for his care—would end?” (161). In this sense, sharing is caring. By revealing concerns to others, there is a greater chance that a solution can be found. However, this “sharing is caring” mantra can also be viewed in a negative light when the information shared is too personal and too private. When Mae finds out that Francis filmed their intimacy, she expresses a strong desire to delete the video. Francis, however, disagrees—and by sharing the video, he causes Mae much harm and embarrassment.

Lastly, the “Privacy is theft” mantra is reflected when Mae takes a kayaking trip without uploading any pictures or videos. She is admonished when she comes back without any evidence to post online. Eamon Bailey questions her by asking, “Does it feel right to have deprived them of seeing what you saw?… Why shouldn’t everyone have equal access to the sights of the world?” (302). Although this is considered a private moment to Mae, The Circle believes that by not making her adventures accessible online, she is depriving others of the opportunity to share in her adventure—stealing that experience from them. Such intense transparency becomes very overwhelming, and people become oppressed by the constant need to make all experiences public.

The ideas behind these mantras are certainly seen in the real world. Social media like Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat perpetuate the dangerous ideas that “Secrets are lies” and “Privacy is theft.” It is so socially acceptable to post everyday activities that only small parts of ourselves are truly kept private. However, in reality, “Sharing is caring” is often a positive idea. We’re told this a multitude of times when we’re merely small children. It is only when details become too intimate and too private that sharing poses a problem. So, we must ultimately keep the dangers of such mantras in mind. And hopefully, in doing so, we will avoid the completely transparent world that awaits us.