Utopia in the 21st Century
How has Utopianism changed in the 21st Century?
What are the possible reasons for these changes?
How will the new creation of Utopian and Dystopian Represtations
affect how humanity strives toward the future and progresses?
Utopian scholars and writers alike agree, “[t]he power of a dystopia lies in the notion that it could happen and it could happen here” (Jackson 2). However, utopian and dystopian creators of the 21st century seem to assume that dystopia has happened and it has happened here. Dystopias are no longer serving the purposes of warning and prediction as they did for authors such as H.G. Wells, George Orwell, Aldous Huxley, and others. Today dystopia is a representation of our current state of socio-political affairs. Bio warfare, world destruction weapons, space-based surveillance technologies, and prolific technological advances—often unchecked by ethics—are constants in the 21st century. For today’s Utopian creators Orwell’s Big Brother is not a threat, he is among us.
Dystopia has reached todays population through alternative methods. Scholarly, political, and theoretical writings, which had previously been the vehicles of Utopian theory, have been superseded by entertainment medias. People now connect to the ideas of utopianism through film, television, video games, and music. In these new mediums, people not only receive modern, visual examples of the dystopic elements of our world but also the philosophical roots of utopian theory—ideas from Plato, More, Owens, Fourier and others. While utopianism has faded from political and scholarly fields its essential, elements are still prevalent to society. The success of and the popular demand for these creations supports the notion that society understands that we have failed to create a better existence and that, unfortunately, things may get worse, before—if ever—they get better.
Dystopia has reached todays population through alternative methods. Scholarly, political, and theoretical writings, which had previously been the vehicles of Utopian theory, have been superseded by entertainment medias. People now connect to the ideas of utopianism through film, television, video games, and music. In these new mediums, people not only receive modern, visual examples of the dystopic elements of our world but also the philosophical roots of utopian theory—ideas from Plato, More, Owens, Fourier and others. While utopianism has faded from political and scholarly fields its essential, elements are still prevalent to society. The success of and the popular demand for these creations supports the notion that society understands that we have failed to create a better existence and that, unfortunately, things may get worse, before—if ever—they get better.
Television and Film have become popular mediums for utopian and dystopian representations. The visual elements and life-like story telling that film and television provide have suited the utopian and dystopian genres well. While the majority of these creations are focused on the current dystopian nature of societies, there are also productions of Utopias, though far less than of the opposing genre.
Dystopic representations are often centered on the fall-out that would follow apocalypse. While the nature of these apocalypses may differ, the journey of people in the fall-out tends to be very similar. Whether it is a contagion outbreak—such as in 28 Days Later— a viral warfare release—as in the Resident Evil series—or simply, the stand-by dystopia since the late 1960s, Zombie Apocalypse, productions usually focus on people, terrorized and enveloped in their dystopic reality. Struggling toward a safe-haven, people continue to search for Utopia. Even in an apocalyptic wasteland, people still hope, pray, and abide by certain rules. These rules, and people’s behavior in the face of a drastically changed world, reflect back to Plato and Aristotle’s theories that people seek what is better, in them and in the world. These survivors often portray the “good” that is left, the remnants of humanity.
Dystopic representations are often centered on the fall-out that would follow apocalypse. While the nature of these apocalypses may differ, the journey of people in the fall-out tends to be very similar. Whether it is a contagion outbreak—such as in 28 Days Later— a viral warfare release—as in the Resident Evil series—or simply, the stand-by dystopia since the late 1960s, Zombie Apocalypse, productions usually focus on people, terrorized and enveloped in their dystopic reality. Struggling toward a safe-haven, people continue to search for Utopia. Even in an apocalyptic wasteland, people still hope, pray, and abide by certain rules. These rules, and people’s behavior in the face of a drastically changed world, reflect back to Plato and Aristotle’s theories that people seek what is better, in them and in the world. These survivors often portray the “good” that is left, the remnants of humanity.