Peggy's Critical Annotated Webliography

Start from the beginning, “cyberpunk and the technological innovation” are the words that I used for searching the useful online materials for this Webliography. There are many results, some of them are the forums, or a reference books review, or a journals. After analyzed and scanned those results, the followings are the materials that more related and useful.

For the fundament, “Cyberpunk as a Science Fiction Genre” (2004) defines that cyberpunk is a member of Hard Science Fiction. It is combination of high-tech and pop culture and it collapses the separation between organic and artificial. The concept of “cyberspace” from William Gibson’s Neuromancer is the influential cyberpunk book. Erich Schneider points the clear threshold for “cyberpunk”: the technologically enhanced system extend to human via cloned or artificial organs. Therefore, humans themselves become part of 'the Machine'; and they turn the technological tools to their own.

In Veronica Hollinger’s (“Cybernetic Deconstructions: Cyberpunk and Postmodernism.”, 1990) article, she tells that technology shapes our perceptions, mediates human relationships. Veronica points that development of human knowledge may anxiety and lost the potential technological transcendence. Cyberpunk is a “movement” in science fiction in the 1980s which prospects the technological within late-capitalist, post-industrial, media-saturated Western society. She also explains that cyberpunk is the breakdown of the oppositions between natural and the artificial, the human and the machines. Thus, it is the interconnection between human and technological innovation. From her opinion, cyberpunk is negative and challenge the human status and harmony while the increasing of the technological innovation.

Heylighen (“Popular Visions of the Future”,1998) also considers that technological innovation affects our perception of the future world. He even provides two different views toward it. In optimistic view, things become more powerful and efficient by the innovation. He also introduces the “New Age” movement to explain through the progress, individual awareness and selfish would replace by the “transpersonal” experience of belonging to public. But that is too outdated and surface. For pessimistic view, he uses the term “Big Brother” states that the technological society as the totalitarian state, as the version of doomsday scene. Frankenstein is the example to illustrate the pessimism— a monster that destroys its creator. He thinks that cyberpunk picture is the advanced cybernetic technology with the anarchism of the 1970s punk movement, is a sign of no future. Everyone try to escape the technological fantasy world and against with the multinational technological corporation and criminals. He thinks the uncertainty and struggle for survive would erode any sense of justice and value, so it is similar with Hollinger’s body and mind invasion idea that questioning the nature of humanity. It is the discussion of the postmodern identification of human and machine. Thus, Heylighen indeed similar with Hollinger, by points out that the terrible effect of cyberpunk associates with technological innovation, but he also cover the optimistic view in order to verify the unrealistic of it.

Person (“Notes Toward a Postcyberpunk Manifesto”, 1998) declares that in cyberpunk stories, human are alienated loners who survive in the dystopia world that made up by the rapid technological innovation. That includes the interaction with the robots or rocketship. In cyberpunk world: “technology is society. Technology is what the characters breathe, eat and live in.”, so it is different with the post-cyberpunk. Therefore, Person’s dystopia world really like Heylighen says that cyberpunk world is full of conflicts and struggles. Person also shows what type of the interrelationship between human and technology as Hollinger mentions there is “the interconnection between human and technological innovation”.

As the example for cyberpunk, Bratton (“Blade Runner – ‘more human than human’”, 2005) uses Blade Runner to explain the cyberpunk. He means that cyberpunk is the world of technological innovation with stony urban realism, is about escape and isolation. This is equal to Heylighen’s. Such as the replicants in Blade Runner is technologically innovation with DNA-based organic beings. This is the matter that Hollinger says the breakdown of human and machine. Through the film, it questioning what is the real human as the opposition of natural and unnatural, reality and appearance, original and the copy. As the replicants qualify the test for humanity, are they human, natural? If the memory can be inputted to the brain, are replicates being a “true” human? When replicants more human, then what is “human”? This article points out the questions toward technologically innovation in cyberpunk, it also extend the wondering of humanity while there is “more human than human”.

In “Cyberpunk! Time Magazine Cover Story” (Dewitt, 1993), it clearly defines that cyberpunk is the term from cybernetics and punk. That is about the technological innovation and the way to use it. Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis games are the guidance of cyberpunk. As it quotes that Stewart Brand perceives cyberpunk as the “technology with attitude”; Bruce Sterling thinks it is “unholy alliance of the technical world with the underground.”; and San Jose State University mathematician considers is ''the fusion of humans and machines.'' All these show the association between cyberpunk and technological innovation, some of it are similar with the above. In abstract, it mentions that cyberpunk science fiction is the “metaphorical evocation of technological fluctuation” in the contemporary world, rather than the imagination of the future. This is the concept that other sources do not reveal.

Rather the interaction between human and technology as Hollinger tells. Kirtchev (“Cyberpunk Understood”, 1990) mentions that cyberpunk is the way that people use to survive in the chaos world; technology is just the part of material of cyberpunk. Kirtchev suggests that cyberpunk is “psychology of technology”. She recognizes the power of technology, but it should be under control. More differently, she thinks cyberpunk should not only play on technology, it is more person. Human who is the master of the technology for the moving toward “cyberspace”. Therefore, it is the tool for us to survive, rather the things to attach on, obtain power or destroys. So, she is emphasizes do not be a technology itself, the standpoint is different with other sources that technology is affecting human and she makes human more active.

In most cyberpunk stories, including malevolent, killing innocents, anti-capitalist and finally get away from the technology innovation manipulation. Funk (“Cyberpunk Fiction: The Visionary Kaleidoscope”, 1995) analyzes that cyberpunk is the integration of culture and technology, also it is extrapolates the influence of it to human. He believes that technology in cyberpunk is the element to be utilized, which people should fight with mind and reality. In some extend, this is similar with Kirtchev. He uses the example of Walter Jon Williams' Voice of the Whirlwind to illustrate the “wonder” of the “clone”. It is similar with Bratton’s. As technology usually advances abnormally, it would cause the conflicts, thus, the “futureshock” would emerge. This view is more like Heylighen’s discussion on the effect of cyberpunk. He is on the side of human should be active and control their future.

In conclusion, different writers have various approaches toward the association of cyberpunk and technological innovation. In cyberpunk, technological innovation affects our perceptions, is a dystopia world by rapid technological innovation, as the technology with attitude. Moreover, it is about interrupting the identity by technological imagination and there are the interrelationship between technological innovation and human. Besides, the oppositions are breakdown while the question of what is “true” human come out. The most interesting assumption is cyberpunk can be the “metaphorical evocation of technological fluctuation”.

Reference:
Bratton, Revd Mark. (2005). “Blade Runner – ‘more human than human’”. University of Warwick Chaplaincy. http://www.warwick.ac.uk/~cpsab/sermons/blade_runner.htm (accessed on 15 March 2007)
Dewitt, Philip Elmer. (1993). “Cyberpunk! Time Magazine Cover Story”. Fuchsia Shockz. http://www.fuchsiashockz.co.uk/articles/cyberpunk/time_magazine_-_cyberpunk.php (accessed on 19 March 2007)
Funk, J. J. (1995). “Cyberpunk Fiction: The Visionary Kaleidoscope” http://uweb.superlink.net/~neptune/Cyberpnk.html (accessed on 15 March 2007)
Heylighen, Francis. (1998). “Popular Visions of the Future”. Principia Cybernetica. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/VISIFUT.html (accessed on 15 March 2007)
Hollinger, Veronica. (1990). “Cybernetic Deconstructions: Cyberpunk and Postmodernism.” Mosaic 23.2. pp. 29-44.
Kirtchev, Christian. (1999). “Cyberpunk Understood”. The Cyberpunk Project. http://project.cyberpunk.ru/idb/cyberpunk_understood.html (accessed on 17 March 2007)
Person, Lawrence. (1998). “Notes Toward a Postcyberpunk Manifesto”. Shawn Nacol. http://www.shawnnacol.com/pP-postcyberpunk.htm (accessed on 15 March 2007) The Cyberpunk Project. (2004). “Cyberpunk as a Science Fiction Genre”. http://project.cyberpunk.ru/idb/scifi.html (accessed on 17 March 2007)