What’s the next wave of dystopia in popular culture?
I think the classic CRTs, mirrorshades, and black synthleather look of cyberpunk doesn’t really work with our expectations in 2024.
In the 70s and 80s, we expected acid rain, ozone holes, and lawlessness to fill our future, as companies took over from (relatively) responsible governments and civility/civilization collapsed. The outfit fit with that: keep the burning rain and sun off, while protecting against looters and raiders. Meanwhile, writers didn’t see how technology would shrink and get better.
In 2024 we expect our dystopia to be hot: the world is heating up, so black synthleather is out. Maybe mirrorshades stick around. Corporations aren’t taking over any more, governments are becoming corrupt/evil (e.g. Hunger Games). And technology is tinsy tiny, verging on invisible.
I’m thinking of the Hunger Games and Upload. (And the first five episodes of Fallout)
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Corporations are currently bullshiting us with their greenwashing about climate change. So still accurate.
I think it will more likely looks like Mad Max or Waterworld.
I heard we already live in one
It looks like the reality all around you right now.
There’s this movie called Reminiscence that takes place after the ice caps have melted. The world-building is phenomenal as everything is just slightly flooded and all the streets have basically become canals. But the story they decided to tell in this world was so boring I can’t remember any of the details. I just remember loving watching Hugh Jackman’s character move about the city.
You can watch it on Tubi and Max.
Also, to re-iterate a previous rant, I think Elysium is a great cyberpunk movie which uses the current cultural fears of climate change, wealth gap, and access to healthcare as the backdrop for the story.
It is interesting though how in the 80s we thought the world would be covered in clouds/pollution/smog and we’d never see the sun. Yet it’s more likely we’ll make the world so hot and dry that it’ll become more of a desert wasteland than a dark and gloomy rain-filled world.
Thanks for the links! I enjoyed Elysium. I’ll give Reminiscence a shot.
Corporations aren’t taking over any more
I beg to differ! Both people and governments are more reliant than ever on a handful of tech companies. Most of them aren’t your classic cyberpunk megacorp (though we do have some like Samsung which fit the bill) but the likes of Google, Apple, and Amazon have an incredible amount of influence and power over their users, as well as the capital to buy out any industry they want to take over.
I agree, but I’m thinking of pop culture references.
I think Amazon is actually as close as we can currently get to a Cyberpunk corpo entity.
Look out the window.
Most fucked up shit that crosst my world will be the water wars. Pure horrer is just around the corner, yey!
