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Cyberpunk? Culture? Cyberpunk culture?

Cyberpunk subcultures, as portrayed in the popular media of the 1980s, represent a fusion of “high technology” and “low life”. Therefore, the phenomenon of cyberpunk is both a critique and a celebration of a dystopian future. This raises the question of whether cyberpunk is actually a subculture (or counterculture), since cyberpunk is obsessed with the things it fights against (techno-dominance and hyper-digitalization).

On the other hand, from the very beginning of the development of this term, it seems that it is. From neon-lit streets, to underground hacker communities, to spaces that are uncertain whether they are physical or cyber, cyberpunk challenges our notions of identity, freedom, and the consequences of uncontrolled — or perhaps selectively controlled for the needs of the elite — technological progress. All this seems like a counter-cultural movement. The main protagonists of cyberpunk are almost always against the authority and established values ​​of their world.

At the intersection of the advancement of technology and the decline of society and humanity, at the blurring boundaries of man and machine, through this essay we will explore the phenomena of cyberpunk and subculture and determine whether these two concepts go together.
The term “cyberpunk”

When George Orwell published his dystopian novel “1984”, he had no idea that that year would become synonymous with every form of repressive, bureaucratic society. Coincidentally (or not?), in 1984, William Gibson published the book “Neuromancer”, a science fiction novel. It laid the foundations of what would become “cyberpunk” (although the term itself was first introduced by Brucke Bethke a year earlier) and a new type of dystopia – (hyper)technocracy and the domination of several mega corporations, whose power is manifested through the invasion of both the body and mind of people. Society is the target group for or tax paying, and individuality is the category for product marketing. Or, in rare occasions, an enemy/virus in the system – such individuals are cyberpunks.

Simply, “cyber” and “punk”, this term is self-explanatory. It expresses concern about the impact of technology on human identity and freedom. He fights against the dominance of corporations, uncontrolled technological progress, ultimately – rotten hyper-capitalism. But it does so through technology, hence “cyber”. In a world freed from moral codes, but trapped in injustice, the cyberpunk is a hacker and an outlaw. It challenges norms, resists structures of control and surveillance (“the top 1 percent of the top 1 percent, the guys that play God without permission”).

When the world is already too dependent on computers, whoever controls them will have considerable amount of power. A cyberpunk doesn’t mind using technology on his way. Moreover, he is obsessed with it. He repairs, hacks and builds new devices, leaking information to show resistance to the system. Christian Kirtchev explained it succinctly in A Cyberpunk Manifesto:

We are the ELECTRONIC MINDS, a group of free-minded rebels. Cyberpunks. We live in Cyberspace, we are everywhere, we know no boundaries.

Concept of subculture and counterculture

Now we need to clarify the notion of subculture and counterculture to see if cyberpunk can fit into that category. According to sociology and cultural theory, specifically guided by the work of Dick Hebdige, the phenomenon of subculture refers to minority cultural groups within a wider culture. Those minority groups have their own specific lifestyles, norms and values. They are often able to develop a unique aesthetic and thus, combining these specifics, provide a sense of identity and community within a wider cultural group.

Countercultures are also sub-cultural groups and have all the characteristics of subcultures (style, values, symbolism…) but their differentia specifica is that they openly oppose and challenge dominant social norms. Especially values ​​and patterns. These groups seek to redefine existing social structures.

Countercultures are almost always more aggressive in resisting dominant social patterns, while subcultures do not have to have a critical attitude towards the wider society. Subcultures can even be a part of a wider culture with some specific characteristics. Both of these, according to Hebdige, use their own style and symbolism as a means of expressing one’s values. Thus, in cyberpunk, we see a bunch of devices on the protagonist, an excessively prominent style of clothing, and even a synthesis of man and machine (for now only in the media…).

The difference is in the way and intensity with which the mentioned groups do it. In simpler terms, subcultures use style to express their values, while countercultures use style to express resistance to dominant values.

Where does cyberpunk belong

Before answering this question, we need to remember what cyberspace is. A cyberspace is a virtual/digital environment, space, network (according to some, the term “world” can also be used) in which all kinds of activities take place, from shopping, entertainment, gaming, to socialization. Each of these “worlds”, both in “Neuromancer” and today on the Internet, is marked by hierarchy, like the first BBSs and their strict discussion topics. Cyberpunk introduces different rules – embracing urban chaos and technology (unlike earlier peaceful countercultures), rejecting traditional forms of activism, focusing on using technology to challenge the system. Technology, which they have been trampled upon, is redirected by cyberpunks and it becomes their weapon. A logical parallel emerges: cyberspace:cyberpunk – culture:counterculture.

Cyberpunk also managed to challenge new forms of the IT economy, advocating freedom of information against corporate control and monopolies of ideas and intellectual property. And not only in words, online or peaceful protests. Already in action, with concrete moves – hacking devices for greater control, and even hacking entire systems or corporations, cracking and free distribution of video games, movies and music, creating easy-to-use hacking software and the like. The list is long, as is the history of cyberpunk’s struggle against its enemies. The corporate-consumer power dynamic has been significantly disrupted by the emergence of this way of thinking and these people.

Becoming something…

Over time, a sense of political articulation also developed. Although this is difficult to examine, some main features, at least in the mid 1980s and 1990s, were a leaning towards libertarianism and a minimal state. Personal freedom and privacy were highly emphasized there. While hackers strove to democratize technology, most cyberpunks strove for personal gain or simply rebellion for rebellion’s sake. That is why the thesis about their political articulation is thin and without many foundations, because those values ​​were certainly dominant in the West at the time of the creation and flowering of cyberpunk.

This is where the main problem of this phenomenon lies: the lack of organization and unity to become a true counterculture (one should not omit all the meanings of the term “culture” from this word). The movement has always been fragmented, with members working separately or too loosely connected to have significant impact in the long run. That’s why, like everything else, cyberpunk and its trends have been co-opted into capitalism over time.

But one should not lose hope. At its core, cyberpunk is still punk. While its effectiveness and coherence as a movement can be deeply debated, cyberpunk niches still exist all over the internet. You are currently reading a magazine of one of them. The “Big Ones” are still occasionally resisted, pirated digital goods are still being used en masse, devices are still being broken, repaired and remade without the interference of the manufacturer. And all of that while listening to synth wave and dressing edgy.

Cyberpunk is (becoming) counterculture in every sense.

Sources

• Cavallaro, Dani. Cyberpunk and Cyberculture: Science Fiction and the Work of William Gibson. London: Athlone Press, 2000.
  
• Hebdige, Dick. Subculture: The Meaning of Style. London: Methuen, 1979.
  
• Mizrach, Steven. “Is Cyberpunk the Counterculture of the 90s?”
  
• Kirtchev, Christian. “A Cyberpunk Manifesto.” Last modified 1997. http://project.cyberpunk.ru/idb/cyberpunk_manifesto.html.