The angle I choose has been the tail end of capitalism. Scarce profits render companies desperate and immoral practices and fleecing individuals becomes the norm. The pandemic has merely hastened the trend.
Sounds about right, but I no longer know what are you responding to.
My sister opted out of the festivities at our place at the last minute. She's petrified of the side-effects of vaccination (so un-vax'd) and also of covid it's self (eg taking the bus). So she spent XMas alone. How's that for Orwellian (+Dickensian).
Well, I don't know your sister, but I take it from the way you write that she's not one of the people I know who enjoy their holidays alone and got quite tired of meeting dozens of (even beloved) people at once and eating and drinking too much just for the sake of tradition, so that maybe the only advantage of COVID-19 is that it brings an excuse to that.
So I'm sorry for her. And for you, since you must miss her. But a citizen deciding for herself for emotional loss not to take some risks is not what Orwell nor Dickens wrote about (specially if she has a place to stay and food to sustain herself). You may refer to some kind of corporate or government propaganda affecting her capability to decide. But aren't you and your sister both subject to the same brainwashing ? Do you take her for too weak and your judgement for better ? Well, I'd assess it the other way if I had to. Orwell must be upset at such a defective big brother.
This does not mean there aren't (increasing) Dickensian situations and Orwellian abuses. Those are real, it's just that it doesn't look to me that this is one, from what I can read from you.
The fact you can post such diatribes is indication enough that you're not living under a true Orwellian government.
Oh, but the fact that he has to post it here in a virtual world instead of debating it with neighbours and acting on it might already be some indication of material Orwellism. You know practical implementations of political ideas are never quite the true thing.
For example a demo against compulsory COVID-19 vaccination in Berlin, from organisers trying to distance themselves from COVID-deniers and far-right and, more to the point, requesting COVID-19 preventive measures to the demo participants,
was prohibited.
Modern Orwellism is about isolating people in virtual bubles online where they can waste their time without any real effects. Turns out tracking and belittlering the message is more effective than blocking its publication altogether.