Origins in Adult Science Fiction
In the 1980s, a new type of science fiction
emerged that was
eventually
labelled cyberpunk.[12]
Pioneers in this genre include Bruce Sterling
and
William Gibson
(Neuromancer,
Mona Lisa Overdrive). Characteristics of
cyberpunk include pervasive computer technology, societal control by
governments or corporations, and an underground movement of hackers or
others
on
the fringes who battle the totalitarian rulers
while
the masses are seduced by
technology and its benefits and gadgets, or beaten into submission.[13]
Cyberpunk
in Young Adult Fiction
The
Ultimate Interface?
M.T.
Anderson's Feed [14]
portrays
a world where it is commonplace to pay to have a multimedia feed
implanted in your brains. The feed provides a constant flow of
advertising
patter, entertainment, and instant access to factual information. The
feeders have little attention span, dismally poor vocabularies, and are
unable to take a sustained
interest in anything, or think or act for themselves. When the narrator
meets Violet, who has only
recently got a feed and so retains some individuality, he begins to
question the assumptions that have been fed
to him. The backdrop is a total state of control, where naysayers are
kept far on
the fringes and any attempts to communicate with the feeders quickly
leads to the rebels' destruction at the hands of government agents.
A lighter read, Be
More Chill [15]
by Ned
Vizzini has some similarities to
Feed, in that the
protagonist buys a squip,
a microchip with an attitude, that is swallowed like a pill. The squip
interfaces
with his brain and gives him information on getting
girls, squip-approved slang and fashion tips to ensure he can
be
constantly cool.
The interface helps him attract the attention of Christine, the girl he
wants,
but he is then placed in the dilemma of being able to go out with
her, but
also wanting her to know his authentic self, which he can no longer connect to.
"My
studies in computer science at the time led me to the stunning
possibilities of quantum computing, which are very real. The squip was
born. And I do believe that we'll have this technology, or technology
very similar, in our lifetimes. Implantable computers are already here
and scientists have a very good understanding of how to get electrodes
to communicate with the human brain. Pretty soon you'll be able to put
a phone number in "memory" without pulling out your cell phone."
[16]
-
Ned Vizzini
