We're All Cyborgs: Science Fiction And Informatics—A Reflection Of Cultural Capitalism

This thesis discusses how capitalism is reflected through science fiction novels. It begins with a historical triangulation of the science fiction genre and how, through the development of the New Wave movement, changes occurred in the genre that placed it in an ample position to critique burgeoning capitalism. Subsequently, this thesis explores the reactionary movement of Cyberpunk. It then proceeds to highlight how the portrayal of informatics in Babel-17 (1966) by Samuel R. Delany and Neuromancer (1984) by William Gibson is reflective of capitalism through the separation of consciousness from the body and the co-dependent relationship between humans and technology in each of the novels. Finally, the thesis concludes with furthering the discussion through Martha Wells’s The Murderbot Diaries series and how these books mirror traits from their predecessors, further working to reflect capitalism. The discussion then turns to how these science fiction novels, especially Murderbot, are demonstrative of today’s social media, and the power that social media holds.