Is Metapunk The Cultural Genre Of The Metaverse?

Ever since Cyberpunk took off people have loved adding the word ‘punk’ to science fiction genres. So does the metaverse deserve its own cultural movement? Of course, it does.

For those who want basic definitions of the many genres and cultures there are some good references out on the web already but I’ll try to distil the main ones here as a journey towards Metapunk.

Cyberpunk

The granddaddy of punk genres, Cyberpunk is about the nearish future, focusing on rapid technological change. It often includes dystopian governments that use technology to invade lives and the alienation of the main characters from this society. It’s often gritty, dark and kind of industrial and neon lit in its aesthetic. Examples include Blade Runner, Altered Carbon and The Matrix.

The genre has its roots in the work of authors like Phillip K. Dick and William Gibson for example. A lot of cyberpunk deals in social revolution and the consequences of technologies interference in human life. Omni-present surveillance, horrifying weaponry, and the ease with which human body parts can be replaced with biomechanical or implants are some big keystones of cyberpunk technology, similar to Deus Ex the video game.

There’s some debate about who really “invented” cyberpunk as a genre. Isaac Asimov was the first writer to consider the ramifications of artificial intelligence (AI) seriously, Bruce Sterling helped shape the genre with his 1986 anthology Mirrorshades, and Bruce Bethke invented the actual term “cyberpunk” with his 1980 short story called Cyberpunk.

Steampunk

Steampunk followed. The Difference Engine was the first steampunk novel, released in 1990. It’s all about the Victorian era, and technology-based on cogs, gears and steam power. It is really, more specifically, about the 19th century British Empire. Steampunk rarely breaks free of its very British background, and other genres have popped up to cover the rest of the world.

Contrary to some opinions, steampunk can embrace the punk part of its name quite easily. The Victorian era was, like the imagined future of cyberpunk, a time of great social and technological change. When technology started to push into lives, employment and government in a way it had never done before.

A big difference between the two genres is that cyberpunk is about the future that may be (typically dystopian), while steampunk is about the past that could have been (steeped in retro-futurism). Additionally, whereas steampunk can be defined by world-building and technology, cyberpunk may be more defined by a mixture of both world-building and character journey: the cybernetic world building and the “low-life” social order. The state and plight of the characters are very important to determine if a novel can be considered cyberpunk or not. Cyberpunk is often described as “high tech and low life.” Steampunk, on the other hand, usually deals with the opposite: low tech and high morals.

Solarpunk

Solarpunk arose out of a Tumblr thread in 2014. It is much like Ecopunk, but with a more radically different image of the future in many ways. It combines environmentally friendly messages with art nouveau and African inspired architecture, creating a neo-classical, whimsical future. But I don’t want to downplay the fact that solarpunk retains the radical, punk roots of the genre, by insisting on radical societal change. Solarpunk has taken off and is now contributing to environmental political movements vision of the future.

Atompunk

Yep, there is one of these for basically every decade of the 20th century.

Atompunk takes the Mid Century Modern style, the nuclear revolution, and the Sputnik space age and mixes them all together to create something quite sleek and shiny. The Fallout series, Futurama and The Incredibles movies really sum up Atompunk really well.

Atompunk has its own punk elements, taking place in the context of post-Mccarthyism, the Civil Rights movement and the Vietnam War. Technology was advancing rapidly and society was struggling to keep up. The genre has fertile soil for re-imagining those social struggles.

So where does Metapunk fit in?

All futures need a movement and identity. And for those invested in that future who want to carve it out in the virtual, there is Metapunk.

Metapunk deals with the societal and economic impact and the consequences of the technologies that converge to create the metaverse, the multiple variations that will exist (because there won’t just be one metaverse) and the different cultures within them. New fashions, collectables, languages will arise from those eager to live out a second life in the virtual realms as well as their own aesthetic, ideals, politics, religions, means of capitalism. As the metaverse takes off some will want to take those hopes and ideals back into the real world to try and make material changes in their own lives — others will keep them distinctly separate.

Because the metaverse represents something different to many people there potentially may not be just one defining aesthetic — much as the metaverse is the convergence of many technologies, Metapunk may become the convergence of many cultural genres — only completely virtual in nature.

The metaverse, aside from the industrial and business opportunities that will exist, will be much more than just a Facebook playground for many who seek a different identity and way to express themselves. And so, in time will come to identify that genre as Metapunk.

In my forthcoming book, titled Metapunk — The Business, Technology and Culture of the Metaverse I’ll be exploring the cultural phenomenon that will arise together with some other contributors who are already working towards building and creating the genre.