Cyberpunk... It has a certain ring, hasn't it? Well, it better. It's a fancy label which has been exploited and abused, but the fact remains: cyberpunk is one of the most explosive manifestations of futuristic fiction ever. It is basically a reinvention of science fiction in general, and dystopian fiction in particular.
It is often said that cyberpunk is dead, but that is far from true. It has just mutated: today, science fiction equals cyberpunk! Common science fiction themes like corporate dominion, monstrous urbanisation, terminal decay and environmental collapse, and likewise common concepts like cybernetics, cyberspace, mega-cities and mega-corporations — they are basically cyberpunk inventions. The impact of this obscure movement — given that it really is a movement — on science fiction can't be overestimated. Although the label might be obsolete today, the cyberpunk tradition continues to influence science fiction.
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