Games Editor Jude-Emmanuel Nwosu discusses the role of literary dystopias in reflecting societal fears and potential futures, exploring the connection between speculative fiction and present-day challenges.
The foundation of dystopian literature is to create a hypothetical scenario of a potential future that could come to pass based on the actions we take in the present. Science-fiction has the same basis in hypothetical realities, which explains why so many science-fiction stories are set in dystopias.
These stories are supposed to serve as cautionary tales, reminding the reader not to take things for granted and showing them what could happen if they are not mindful of their actions. The bleak and hopeless worlds that the writers depict are meant to scare the audience into making sure the dystopias remain fictional.
However, some people may argue that these fictional futures of despair have already come to pass and it isn’t difficult to see why. Artificial intelligence as a concept has been a mainstay in the science-fiction genre for decades, and naturally has made its way into dystopian literature. The concept plays on a fear of technology supplanting humanity that has existed for centuries. Most authors use artificial intelligence in the form of androids in their dystopias such as Philip K. Dick’s 1968 novel Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep, which depicts a world where it is difficult to distinguish man from android.
While the AI of our world is not as advanced to convincingly inhabit a synthetic humanoid body, it is getting better at creating art. AI has become much more prevalent in the world of arts. Many people are aware of the looming danger that artwork created by AI poses to artists while the option is just too convenient for those who want to commodify art. However it is not just artists that face this threat. The prospect of replacing VFX artists with AI is becoming an attractive option to directors trying to cut costs by laying off their staff. The Marvel TV show Secret Invasion has reportedly used AI to create its opening credits sequence. Ali Selim, one of the executive producers confirmed this assertion, claiming it was used to create an “otherworldly and alien look.”
Dystopian fiction also focuses on how the foundations for relationships between people can change in the future. The writers represent tensions between groups of people with much more intensity and contempt. These dystopias tend to be unequal worlds and while you could say the same has always been true in reality, these speculative futures portray inequality with dramatism.
For example, in Jerome B. Holgate’s 1835 novel A Sojourn in the City of Amalgamations, in the Year of Our Lord, 19--, the titular city Amalgamation is a place where white and black people are married purely for racial equality and not for love. The premise of this novel is satirical, criticising interracial marriage and arguing for black recolonisation. Despite the novel being the creation of an author with bigoted fears, there are still remnants of the racism fueling the story, present in our modern world.
In January this year, the White House announced an executive order that intends to remove DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) programs in America. These programs were implemented with the intent of ensuring fair treatment of all people and representing those who have been historically underrepresented.
On the 28th of January this year, the Doomsday Clock, which is supposed to track humanity’s movement towards extinction, was moved to 89 seconds. Despite this statement, saying that we are living in a dystopia right now would be an inflammatory statement. There is still hope for this world to heed the warnings that literature has been shouting for centuries, we just have to listen.