Beyond Neuromantics and Mirrorshades: Cyberpunk and Its Global Implications

This independent research seeks to analyze the socio-political elements surrounding the formation and aspects of cyberpunk, drawing parallels between the twentieth-century fiction and the twenty-first-century reality. Cyberpunk refers to the science fiction subgenre encompassing a high tech, low life world which fuses advanced technologies with a dark, broken near-future dystopia. The genre initially sought to move beyond the utopian, idealistic science fiction of the early to the mid-twentieth century into a more realistic depiction of what technological developments and socio-political realities of the time would lead to in the near future. The three sections of this research allow for an in-depth analysis of what brought forth the creation of the genre, what defines its works and texts, and how the genre’s commentaries apply to society and culture at large. First, a foundational analysis exploring the influencing factors on the early visionaries of the genre will contextualize the origins of this ideology. Then, the exploration of two seminal texts of cyberpunk, Ridley Scott's 1982 Blade Runner and Mamoru Oshii's 1995 Ghost in the Shell, through a close textual reading will illuminate commentary from their creators on their perceptions of the world at that time and in a possible future. Lastly, the application of distillations from the second section of this research will draw parallels to twenty-first-century society and culture, including topics such as the globalization of digital media, mass-market availability of products, the widespread usage of social media, and the role of cyberspace in every facet of official and private life. Manifestations of the cyberpunk vision have not only occurred but exist to the point where one could consider the early works of the genre as prophetic for the world of today. Through analysis and observation of elements that derive from cyberpunk, individuals can appreciate the influence of the genre on even the smallest aspects of daily life and what lies in the world of tomorrow.