Crisis of «Meta-Society»

What can our society become? This question is always relevant. But how do game designers from CD Projekt Red, the game company that published Cyberpunk 2077, answer the question?

Before the answer, let me justify the choice. Cyberpunk 2077 is an actionadventure game with an open world, done in 2019. Open world genre means that the player is not restricted to current locations and can travel all around the design map. That makes «Night city,» where the action is happening, detailed and well-made. But we will not be discussing the game itself. Let us focus on an anime series Cyberpunk 2077: «Edgerunners». Done by Rafał Jaki, author of Cyberpunk2077 universe, and screenplayed by Masahiko Otsuka.

Anime shows the world of high-tech and low life in a new, very detailed resolution. The protagonist of Cyberpunk 2077: «Edgerunners.» is David Martines, whose life story represents a shown society. The main power in the world of Cyberpunk 2077 is in the hands of corporations and big companies. People who are not lucky enough to adopt to

Their trends, or to be valid, are through into the streets of «Night City» to refill numbers of marginals, bandits, and drug addicts. In a system done by corporates, people are forced to fight each other to build a successful career. Cybernisation is an essential tool of the race and is quite accessible, though have substantial side effects on a user. People not ready to put their bodies and health on the line are losing their jobs. This is an example of forced cybrrnization, the tendency which can appear in the future when technology is highly assessable. The reality where to be natural humans will be a shame. It will not worth mentioning that Rafał Jaki is also making some predictions of some future tendencies. Such as the automotive industry crises, the massive rise of private and corporate aviation, and the tendency to completely ignore climate change and greening. Society will become multicultural, and technologies will be the primary resources where cybernization will become a central inclination.

Conclusion

All in all, what will be the result of the fusion between us, humanity, and technology, according to Cyberpunk?

Resources:

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. Directed by Masahiko Otsuka. NETFLIX, 2022.

Ghost in the Shell/攻攻攻攻攻. Directed by Mamoru Oshii. Shochiku 1995 https://www.cyberpunk.net/en/edgerunners https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyborg

Youtube. «Neurolink Show and Tell, Fall 2022»

Taken from: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YreDYmXTYi4&t=4231s

People on their own will not change much. They will keep on some of their basic needs, though others will disappear. But with technology being easily accessible new problems will appear, such as forced cybernization.

Though topics the article raised were taken from works of scientifiction, Cybernization is a real thing. It has become a part of our life already, which makes the subject discussed in the article

BY MARINOS PAPACHRYSOSTOMOU U221N0381

Issues and solutions to post-apocalyptic worlds are recurring themes in Hollywood blockbusters, which may have seemed absurd at the time. We would have consumed this content in the comfort of our own homes years ago. Not realizing that the problems we face today are the same as the problems faced by our favorite characters from the same series.

We are those beloved characters.

This article will outline the high tech and low tech sustainability tactics used throughout. Real world events and technology will also be compared to the accuracy of the series.

Frequent Faces

The 100 is one of many Netflix classics whose subject matter is riddled with cryptic warnings foreshadowing the dystopian future we are approaching. The television series takes place 97 years after a catastrophic nuclear war that virtually eliminated all life on Earth. Twelve space station occupants who were in Earth’s orbit before the war are the only known survivors. A gigantic station called “The Ark,” with roughly 2,400 people, was created when the space stations joined forces. Resources are limited, as are all offenses, regardless of their seriousness or type. One hundred adolescent inmates are labeled “expendable” and transported to Earth’s surface in a desperate attempt to see if it is once again habitable when the Ark’s life support systems are discovered to be seriously malfunctioning.

The show gained deserved publicity for its dramatic, action-packed, and scandalous scenes; however, the real, encapsulating factor of the show lies in its realistic and relevant approach to sustainability challenges, the world's current problems, as well as its accuracy in science. The primary motive for abandoning earth is radioactive climate conditions. This is a current threat to our society, as present circumstances have instigated threats over the matter.

The show continues on this theme of relevance as other climatic issues have entered the realm of reality. Season 4, three seasons after landing back on earth, side effects of a nuclear meltdown begin to challenge the survivors black toxic rain and lack of the more covered issue in season 4, drinkable water, When comparing these scenarios with real-world problems, we can critically comment on the toxic rain reports in India and the water conditions in Flint, Michigan, where a public health emergency known as the Flint water crisis began in 2014 when the drinking water in Flint, Michigan, was found to be tainted with lead and possibly Legionella bacteria, Melting ice caps, poor air quality in China, and nuclear threats in current wars are among these.

Upon discovering a nuclear meltdown is unavoidable, members of the group come together to figure out ways in which they will survive. They come to the conclusion that the crashed Ark is the most plausible option. In Season 4, Episode 2, they propose to freeze dry meat until they gather the suitable equipment to start their own sustainable farming system to grow their own food. They come to an agreement about using oxygen scrubbers, which are used to create breathable air in space, to provide sustainable oxygen to the refuge. All forms of scrubbers entail chemical processes that also result in the production of water, which can be consumed or utilized as fuel for the oxygen generator. This method, along with a water gram system, will allow for a farming system to be in place. All of this is possible due to the fact that the arc is located within range of the Ice Nation hydroelectric generator. A hydroelectric generator functions as a water turbine and is presumably used to pump water from the ground.

World Diseases

There were 12 space stations orbiting the Earth on May 10, 2052, when the nuclear apocalypse struck. The occupants of the space station believed they were the sole survivors and that Earth was inhospitable. The federation stations made the decision to combine into a single space habitat, the Ark, to pool resources and inhabitants.The individual stations formed the eleven components of “The Ark”, the more relevant components being.

-The Government and Science Station is responsible for artificial gravity using centripetal force. Painted on the station is a US flag, implying that it was originally a United States nation station converted. It was also revealed that this station housed an algae farm, this photosynthetic eukaryotic organism consists of 3 strains being, toxic strain, edible strain and medical strain.

-Argo Station, which was more commonly known as the Farm Station, was The Arks agriculture facility. In this facility edible plants and vegetables were grown for food used by the inhabitants. It is also the station which produced moonshine and medical herbs.

Factory Station, assumed to be the manufacturer of essential items needed by the ark. Items were produced through principles of sustainability as recycled and broken components acted as the main material to manufacture said items.

- Hydra Station, often referred to as ‘Hydro Station’ provides a stance to believe that this station is responsible for water related purposes for example, the reclamation and possibility of aquaculture.

-Tesla Station, assumed to be the powerhouse of “The Ark” for its name, Tesla Station provided the majority of the electrical power.

While, in contrast to the sustainable tactics on The Ark, the survivors on earth were limited in approaching sustainability more traditionally. The series showcases how people who did not escape Earth survived the nuclear war. The first homeworld of humans was Earth, sometimes known as "The Grounders." The first episode of the series aired in September 2149, 97 years after "A.L.I.E," an artificial intelligence that unleashed a terrible nuclear apocalypse.

The majority of the ground recovered, supporting healthy plant and animal life, while air radiation levels remained high, only benefiting those who had developed radiation tolerance. Later in the series, a safe haven in what was formerly northwest Virginia on Earth is home to Shallow Valley, commonly referred to as Eden, the green valley. There lived members of the Shallow Valley clan before the Second Nuclear Apocalypse. Being the only green area on the earth, The Valley played a significant role in Season 5. In part, this was caused by the death wave skipping over the valley. Eden provided growing vegetation and edible berries, and it accommodated birds and fish. The garden was lush, and the sky rained often. When all the majority of technology is destroyed the group has reverted back to traditional means of sustaining themselves by living off the land.

The 100 sets up a framework for possible outcomes in the future but relies on sustainability to prosper under such radical conditions. The Sky People relied on high tech sustainability to simulate an earth like environment in space however The Grounders resulted back to traditional means of sustaining life. The characters proceeded to rely on sustainability techniques as they were faced with a collective of landscapes but relied on farming methods, reusable shelters, and reusable hydraulic systems. The series went further to predict climate disasters. Given the current accuracy of the show, one could assume that it will be possible for humans to live in space, but the question remains, when will we be ready?