RESET: A Journey into Cyberpunk

Björk imagines a world that balances technology and nature; cyberpunk confronts technology’s darker side. From the early 1970s to the 80s, cyberpunk began to build its world through tropes. In World on a Wire (1973), simulated realities and blurred human identities emerged, setting the stage for themes of perception and power in virtual spaces. Blade Runner (1982) introduced neon-lit, rain-soaked streets, corporate overlords, and replicants struggling with human feelings. Tron (1982) popularised the idea of computer-driven worlds, echoed later in The Lawnmower Man (1992) and eXistenZ (1999). Meanwhile, Brainstorm (1983) explored transferring memories and consciousness, influencing films like Strange Days (1995) and The Thirteenth Floor (1999).

By the late 80s, body modification and the darker side of tech transformed the human body. Robocop (1987) and Akira (1988) showed cybernetic enhancements as both a potential and a trap, while Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989) and Hardware (1990) pushed this boundary, questioning where humanity and machinery meet.

In the 90s, cyberpunk deepened its exploration of virtual worlds and data manipulation. Johnny Mnemonic (1995), Hackers (1995) and Ghost in the Shell (1995) show characters “jacking in”, merging with tech, and fighting rogue AIs. The Matrix (1999) spread cyberpunk’s warning of a tech-dominated future, as it questioned control, individuality, and technology’s impact on our destiny. Cyberpunk continues to examine where tech will take us, who will hold power, and what we might risk in the process.

Black mirror

Cyberpunk is a warning. We can already see signs of its dystopian world around us. Surveillance by governments and corporations reflects today’s data tracking and social media monitoring. In cyberpunk, big corporations have huge power, like how tech giants like Google and Amazon influence politics and our privacy. Cybernetic upgrades, once just sci-fi, are becoming real with high-tech prosthetics and brain implants. Virtual reality and the metaverse create digital worlds first imagined in cyberpunk. Hacktivism, central to the genre, is mirrored in movements like Anonymous and WikiLeaks. The rundown cities and inequality in cyberpunk reflect real problems, such as economic gaps and gentrification.