What Is Driving The Cyberpunk Renaissance ?

Cyberpunk media is growing in popularity: Cyberpunk 2077, Edgerunners, Mr Robot, The peripheral, Altered Carrbon and Blade Runner. What is driving this growth ? What does it say about us ?
Cyberpunk has many classic pieces of media, Neuromancer, Matrix, Blade Runner but it died out in popularity in the mid 2000's. Hear my argument about why this vintage genre is having a renaissance.
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#cyberpunk #bladerunner

[@yangmotivation1651]

in cyberpunk 2077 it's not about saving the worl d, it's about saving yourself.

[@squigglesmcjr199]

BURN CORPO SHlT

[@thrash2429]

That’s cyberpunk in general.

[@ShreddedSteel]

Which is something we could do with more of

[@jivepsilocybe993]

​@@thrash2429 I second this. It's the point of the ENTIRE genre.

[@mate53]

I've been playing that game recently (not even done with it yet) and now I can't stop seeing the inevitable future happing all around me.

[@dustinmccollum7196]

Me and my best friend jokes about how we live in a shitty cyberpunk world. We have the megacorps and social problems but don't have the cool cyberware ect.

[@CuttinInIdaho]

I say this all the time lol

[@FlintTD]

"We live in the stupidest of all possible cyberpunk dystopias."

[@justinianthegreat1444]

True!

[@SpoopySquid]

You'd think they'd at least let us bring neon lighting back but nope, can't even have that

[@justinianthegreat1444]

@@SpoopySquid we're starting to have neon lights, especially in Asia. We just have to wait and start the trend of neon lights

[@shailajapathania8211]

"Despite our unprecedented level of connectivity, we find ourselves more isolated than ever before" is so true. We are getting slowly detached with reality.

[@ThePartisan13]

I disagree.

[@JL32506]

I think it's because Cyberpunk has a genuine promise of power in a powerless society. If you can find the right people, develop the right skillsets, and have reached a breaking point in your morality/ethical depth... then Cyberpunk is the perfect storm. You can be someone, you can do great things; you can finally live in a world where life may suck, but at least it's colorful and interesting, and there's a promise that things will genuinely get better for you. It's the American Dream, but darkly inverted. It's also a lot more fun than normal day-to-day life. Sure, you might be a criminal, but at least you're a criminal that believed in something and had fun doing it. Now, people might scoff at the "fun" bit, but it's true. Modern, mundane life is a government-corporate dichotomy that's just not that fun or interesting to engage with for most of us (work 9-5 for 30-40+ years, if you're lucky, and hope it doesn't become mandated to work a 9-9 in your lifetime... And pray that you don't get targeted by either one in the meantime). We'd rather ignore all this, leading to a positive feedback loop of miserable ideas and people in power. If no one thinks things will change for the better, they won't ever take the steps towards making things better. We've reached a point in our lives, where Cyberpunk seems more attractive than living as we do now, despite how much it would suck to live in any of these Cyberpunk worlds. That's a really big red flag. If a Cyberpunk world is becoming an escapist fantasy, then where are we going wrong?

[@searneak2679]

you've got a point. also, we can see how Cyberpunk lost its popularity in the 00s-10s, and has regained it now. I think people are simply losing hope for the future as they struggle more and more with their current reality. upd. and one more thing that came to my mind. one of the many reasons why Cyberpunk emerged as a genre was a natural fear of the tech industry which began to become routine in the 80s. then people relaized that tech isn’t that scary, and can be handled properly. but it wasn’t as developed as it is now. and there seems to be a noticeable increase of anxiety about technologies among society over the past two years, when AI has started popping up everywhere and even the job market very quickly came under its influence. For example, the game “Detroit: Become Human” aired in 2018. And there was an interesting episode, at the very begging of the game, there were protesters against androids (AI robots), who took away their job. When I watched it, I remember feeling completely unaware, and it all seemed so far away. But now, after approximately 5 years, I feel it quite real.

[@ifelse10110]

That's really insightful, thank for the input ! Really impressed actually, its a perspective which didn't even occur to me but definitely has strong merit to it. If I ever revisit this topic, i'd for sure need to study this concept more in depth.

[@JL32506]

@@ifelse10110 I appreciate it. I know it's always insight that blindsides folks, because they begin to realize the cascade of events and ideas that lead us here. I'm Transgender (genderfluid), and the idea that I could be whoever I choose to be, whenever I want to be, has lead to a lot of heated discussion about who I am, who I should be, and whether or not I should exist. It's given me unique insight into transhumanism, cyberpunk, and our world's view of biomechanics and technology.

[@squigglesmcjr199]

Yeah its about bucking the system against overwhelming odds no matter the cost, not just being crushed by it without a fight.

[@NayrAnur]

​@@squigglesmcjr199That whole "do not go gentle into that good night" type of vibe.

[@Sailor-Sappho]

there's something deeply ironic about all the AI art used here

[@jaynunya5136]

personally, I think we are living in a proto-cyberpunk world

[@pythonxz]

Mr. Robot is a masterpiece.

[@ShreddedSteel]

The part where you refer to the return of slave labour in Cyberpunk, was good… It comes full circle to the video title… Because the hard pill to swallow, Is that we are in that same phase of humanity, Just preliminary, Indentured servitude, That is nothing more than slavery, Rebranded, Under another name. With extra steps, If you will We will decay into this

[@dhuh6760]

The path to liberation is that technology is used to decrease the amount of time people spend at work, *not*, that the time they are at work is more productive. What it should be is that the work of 1 hour today reflects the work of 8 hours yesterday, and so, you are paid the same, and sent home with another 7 hours in your day. But that, wouldn't increase profit. That, wouldn't be advantageous. That wouldn't be the way to outcompete your competitors.

[@jacoblester8477]

Man I should rewatch bladerunner

[@guillermomazzari8320]

I believe media always prepares humanity for the future the big companies are creating, so perhaps, we will live in a cyberpunk-like future, we are just being prepared, psychologically, for it

[@DavideAroldi]

One year ago I started joking about the fact that Milan is the Night City of Italy, now I'm realising it's heading towards it full send. Can't even imagine for people in actual metropolis.

[@ifelse10110]

It's such a problem, it doesn't just impact the big ones: NY, London, Milan , SF: smaller cities too are becoming more and more Cyberpunkish; look at Dublin for example. Tiny city with one of the highest cost of living !

[@DavideAroldi]

@@ifelse10110 exactly, the cyberpunk effect happens in the lifestyle for most international cities Milan has the same issue life cost wise, i can’t imagine living INSIDE the city. Didn’t imagine Dublin was that affected as well tho

[@jansen4282]

In the cyberpunk genre, the powers that be, are too powerful to overthrow, and doing so would spit something nastier out of the vacuum. The genres main core for characters, is usually the need for self preservation.

[@Tekkaman1994]

I think what's so interesting and also appealing about Cyberpunk media, is that that peoples lives are hard, and they have scrape by, and survive because of high crime rates and few human interactions but there's cool cybernetics, VR Networks, super fast computers, AI that actually talk and effect things. There's also the possibility of becoming a tough merc or a highly skilled hacker. We just have that in our reality.

[@josefonseca6144]

More and more of my cyberpunk short stories are getting published. I bring in “urban” voice to cyberpunk; Central American and Caribbean immigrants struggling in the setting, amplifying the now surfaced child labor found in industrial meat packing (it’s been that way for a decade now) and other exploitive practices and toning down the Asian stereotypes. Plus I add heart by adding elements of family.

[@mnk9073]

Back in the 90s it was cool escapism to a crapsack-y dystopia, intruiging but no more realistic than Back to the Future. Today, where we already had a Biff-presidency (and very likely will get another one) it's more like a trailer for what's to come... ...Probably without the cool music and the chrome. Because we can't have nice things, not even in the dystopian future.

[@ifelse10110]

Honestly, at this stage we should just go for it, aesthetic and all !

[@miguelcondadoolivar5149]

The nice music exists, it's just not mainstream.

[@WannabeGhost]

The only difference between full blown cyberpunk and what we have goin irl is the fact that common folks still have some power.

[@notwhatitwasbefore]

No they don't. If you disagree use your power as a common folk to change something. Anything

[@WannabeGhost]

@@notwhatitwasbefore Plural my dear Sir or Madam. FolkS. And if you want examples here are some: -Flop of the ring of power due to mass critique as well as (amazon owned) IMDb 5/10 and lower opinion deleting fiasco -Cancelation of green zones in Poland due to public concern and protest -NYCP funding reduction due to blm "peaceful" demand for it to happen The complacency you presented is precisely what power that be need to progress towards high control dystopia, so please stop spreading such poisonous ideas and believe in yourself. Believe that you can make the world better. Even if not on your own. Also i do have certain goal i chase that (hopefully) will make the change for the better. It will take decades to achieve, but it is worth it.

[@OliverScratche]

Awesome video, dude. High Tech-Low Life, guilty as charged...

[@ryanb1960]

Where have did you find all these comic book style Images, Did you create them or are these comics already? Or AI? Very cool video 👨‍💻

[@bluegiant13]

Love your videos man. I love this style of presentation. Will you be making more of this type of video and about similar topics?

[@ifelse10110]

I will, I'm looking into a few other books, one video game and potentially talking about the Ethics of AI. I am a Machine Learning Engineer, so I might have unique insights into that area ! Thanks for the nice comment :)

[@awuonhunter5944]

It’s because we can all clearly see our society speedinggggg towards this future

[@atheosathanatos8115]

the world of cyberpunk is terrifying. I hope we're smart enough to not fall that deep

[@JL32506]

To be blunt, we're already there. And yet, it's somehow more miserable than any of the Cyberpunk worlds we've been presented with.

[@dustinmccollum7196]

So true

[@justinianthegreat1444]

We're already there

[@miguelcondadoolivar5149]

We fell that deep, merely lack some of the tech.

[@gb1234ist]

we are living it so

[@seanjay9457]

Another great video ! Will you ever explore anything other than cyberpunk ?

[@Brilchan]

good video

[@zekebekejak6950]

do you make your own graphics for the videos or use already existing? Great Video btw

[@YotogiDotNet]

Solid analysis and argument. Unfortunately, I agree more than disagree.

[@ifelse10110]

Thank you !

[@thrwwccnt5845]

this AI art is well put together, how long did it take you to tweak it?

[@Hairlesswookie62]

Good cyberpunk doesn't master end-of-history capitalism, it just makes the emotional reaction that much more relatable. It's the true literary meaning of catharsis being an intellectual engagement with harsh truths being taught by the gods of experience rather than the false idols of a better life when all that's good is absolutely dead. And that's our world and we know it.

[@DubiousPhoenix]

I'm not sure what we're mirroring in our world right now, but I honestly don't think it's Cyberpunk-esqe. Even Deckard met up with arms dealers and contacts in real space right? V Still had to sit down with Dex to do a job. Elliot's crew don't exist in some encrypted back channel, they all gather in a run down arcade which is def less secure than proper encryption messaging. You could wave these things away as just an issue of translation with the visual medium, but I think that they demonstrate something else, namely what I said before. What we're going through isn't a mirror of cyberpunk. And the comparisons that we can draw, like corps being greedy for money and power, that's just a universal truth, across time, political systems etc. I'm not 100% sure what I'm even trying to get across here. I think there's a missing element to this entire convo (and every variant of this convo) and I can't put my finger on it.

[@mattrobson3603]

Because those people are doing exciting things. People who do exciting things IRL still meet up and do those things in meatspace. There's probably a ton of people shouting at each other online in these various works, we just don't spend any time with them because that makes for an extremely boring story.

[@dziosdzynes7663]

Alexa play Blade Runner Blues by Vangelis

[@ifelse10110]

A classic late night drive tune !

[@Falstaff0809]

Of course people in cyberpunk are isolated. It makes us easier to control and dependent.

[@ifelse10110]

Good point, the corrporations need to seperate people to keep them from banding together. This of course, keeps the corporations in power.

[@notwhatitwasbefore]

I think the recent rise of the cyberpunk genre has alot to do with how its turned out to be an almost idealised version of our actual reality despite the intention of being closer to a dystopic warning. We live in a world ruled by the corpos just as predicted while those corpos lock down cyberspace and push this dystopia on the ever more powerless masses in a manner that makes many cyberpunk works seem prophetic the only things we are lacking from most of these works is the cool augmentations. Not that cutting off your limbs to get a replacement is actually cool but being super human does have a certain attraction when being a regular human doesn't seem to be enough anymore, yet more accurate prediction. Most weeks as I'm reading the news or catching up on some tech inovation I see something that might well be new and novel to the masses yet seems familiar to me through the cyberpunk genre. While those masses seem to miss the point about where the risk is in such advances or even that there is a risk at all I can see that pattern and direction is the same as many authors imagined decades ago. The current tech illiterate spewings around machine learing and its obfiscation with the term AI and in some cases even AGI is so on the nose I do wonder if the people pushing much of this (not the scientists but the corpos that control them) have actually read a bunch of cyberpunk works and took it as a road map not a warning. Popular fiction is often something that seems to mirror reality which in the 2020s is the dystopic warning of the 1980s/90s, If films like Jonny Mnemonic were released in 2021 (the year its set) instead of 1995 it would of been much easier for the mass market to grasp and would perhaps be seen as a bit too obvious even lazy. I imagine Musk might even try to sue the production for being negative propaganda against neuralink. Even that name neuralink is almost perfectly cyberpunk just change the A to an O and its there, I just googled that to check it wasn't a Willam Gibson term and I was just having a mental blindspot. I wrote this at the start of your video and its nice to see thats its not that far from where you went with it

[@ifelse10110]

Almost point for point we agree on it ! I think it's so interesting how so many in the comments have similar views, but differ slightly. I think the most interesting one stated that cyberpunk is our world just 'more interesting and fun'; which is sad but true.

[@Falstaff0809]

To what extent does cyberpunk today feed our isolation and apathy by offering us a dream world where the isolated individuals can fight and damage the oppressor.

[@Disco_Tek]

Its because we live in a corporate dystopia already why not just change the aesthetic.

[@maggintons]

I'm still convinced Watch Dogs 1&2 is cyberpunk

[@Burori1]

Also there's the Ai being used to replace people's artistic skills.

[@wagaboond6443]

CP2077 was never a renaissance, it was final accord for Cyberpunk, because its no more about the future, its about reality. There is nothing new that cyberpunk can offer

[@CrankYouGC]

No space behind the end of your sentences and your question mark ty.

[@ifelse10110]

Yea I edited them out to keep the video moving, is this an editing style you like or dislike ?

[@drewburt4315]

I really don't know why people wish to use energy of the imagination to reinforce miserable realities rather than seek refuge from them. It's probably the reason for a lot of suicides. People should really give themselves a break during their free moments rather than wallow perpetually in misery.

[@fast1nakus]

Because it's a warning. Because a good author can shape the minds of entire generations.

[@Real_badda]

Tell me u dont know about Heavy Metal, without telling me u dont know about Heavy Metal

[@ReflexVE]

Why do you assume they don't? This wasn't a comprehensive review of the literature, just a 14 minute overview of the genre and it's creeping into reality. They didn't name check Vinge and True Names either, so what?

[@Real_badda]

@@ReflexVE ........ the title lol

[@BLKM4NTI5]

Jesus, kid, who gives a fuck if they didn’t mention Heavy Metal? This isn’t about nerding out over your favorite fantasy, it’s about the theme, in case your gonk ass missed it.

[@NoName-ym5zj]

People often interpret the "punk" in "Cyberpunk" as indicative of a revolutionary and counter-culture movements that fight the system and while it maybe true to an extent, "punk" in this case usually there to indicate moral decay of society and the "low life" aspect of Cyberpunk. The romanticized idea of a revolutionary who beats the corporation and changes the world is contrary to Cyberpunk spirit imho. Although it can be done right, like Johnny Silverhand for example, dude thought he could blow up the "bad guys" and save the world, but he just made things worse and in the end all he did was of no consequence, because that's not how the real world works.

[@ifelse10110]

That's an excellent point, for example in Count Zero most of the gangs belong to different counter-culture groups and seem to fight amongst each other more than against corpos as well ! On the point about Silverhand and the attack on Arasaka, I think Takemura sumarised it pretty well. Even if you did topple a huge corporation, the way society is set up means one will just take its place without any genuine change. Apart from the company logo.

[@AYAKXSHI]

Also bartmoss is a better example he literally caused the very future he tried to destroy and now he went from a revolutionary hero to a villain that ruined cyberspace

[@ifelse10110]

@@AYAKXSHI I need to give the lore and story of Cyberpunk 2077 a deeper review one day because it has tonnes of great stories within it that are perfect for reviews and analysis. This is a great point, and I'll actually go checkout that lore today !

[@AYAKXSHI]

@@ifelse10110 most definitely it would be awesome and it could also help for future retrospectives

[@MrMuddyWheels]

Low life refers to criminal activity and disreputable behavior not the standard of living.

[@timmygilbert4102]

Ifthenelse

[@ifelse10110]

😂 It's based on Python, my second channel is Try Except.

[@naheemquattlebaum2267]

Cyberpunk isn't vintage. If anything it's the most relevant genre right now.

[@Humpolot84]

DUDE , THIS VINTAGE OLD ASS GENRE OF SCIFI IS BACK BECAUSE REAL LIFE IS STARTING TO LOOK LIKE A SAD CYBERPUNK SHITTY COMIC FROM THE 80'S

[@spacecadet-zero]

Yes, that’s his exact premise. What are you contesting?

[@sleepyherbs6303]

Real life is driving the resurgence life without the fancy tech is increasingly becoming more dystopian I mean we got age old crafts and industry’s becoming automated replacing workers with machines whenever possible plus other trends of corporations having to much economic and political power as well as tech advancing too fast to see the drawbacks of misusage mixed with immoral business and external forces grifting leads to me a 22 yr old shmoe feelin like a npc in night city 😮

[@ifelse10110]

I think one positive position Cyberpunk always makes is that people are inherently unique individuals, the protagonists always go through a metamorphosis in order to discover who they truly are. Maybe we could learn from this and not become NPC's !