Full transcript
0:09You surely know the Cyberpunk genre ,
0:12whether through games , movies , anime ,
0:15or if you're old school , books . And for
0:19a long time , the Cyberpunk genre was
0:21considered by many to be one of the
0:23most likely representations of
0:25humanity's future . We imagined the
0:28future would be easy to recognize , with
0:30holograms floating in the air , glowing
0:32ads , flying cars , and people with
0:34cybernetic implants . This image became
0:49so ingrained in our minds that when we
0:51think of a technologically advanced
0:53society , we almost automatically think
0:55of a Cyberpunk city . But that is
0:58exactly the opposite of what is
0:59happening in reality . In fact , it seems
1:03the more technology advances , the less
1:05it looks like what we saw in science
1:07fiction movies . The future isn't
1:11necessarily getting more colorful ; it
1:13is becoming increasingly gray and
1:15minimalist . And since Cyberpunk is one
1:18of my favorite narrative genres , I
1:20began to wonder why the Cyberpunk
1:22aesthetic is so far from our reality .
1:27And this doesn't include the East , to
1:28be clear , but I started to notice that
1:30technologies are becoming simpler on
1:32the outside and more complex on the
1:34inside . So I decided to make this video
1:38to try to understand why this happened ,
1:39in case that happens to be of interest
1:41to you .
1:42It's interesting , right ? It is
1:44interesting .
1:45But if it is , and you want to subscribe
1:46to the channel and leave a like , it
1:48helps me a lot , because YouTube hasn't
1:49been recommending my latest videos . So
1:51that really helps me out . But back to
1:53the video . For decades , Cyberpunk
2:01helped define one of the most striking
2:04ways of imagining the future , cementing
2:06an image of a technologically advanced
2:09society , but one marked by massive
2:11inequality and a quality of life that
2:13doesn't keep pace with technological
2:15progress . And one of the most important
2:19characteristics of this vision of the
2:21future lies precisely in its striking
2:23environment . The city itself gives the
2:26idea that technology has taken over
2:28society so deeply that no one can live
2:31without it . And when I say no one , I
2:34mean no one .
2:35Asked for a phone . Friend of a phone .
2:38Lied about a phone . Not Wilson , man .
2:42Much of this aesthetic is a result of
2:44the era in which the genre emerged .
2:46Which is the 80s . For those who didn't
2:49live through that time , like me , that
2:51is the decade when the colorful ,
2:52rebellious style reached its peak .
2:55Beyond the clothes , the huge neon signs
2:57, the computers full of buttons , and
2:59the information-heavy interfaces , it
3:01was a way of representing how
3:03innovative and beautiful the future
3:05could be . Along with this shift in
3:09style came social conflicts and
3:11cultural wars . And since the scenario
3:14back then was so chaotic , it is natural
3:16to imagine that the future would be
3:18even worse . In this context , the main
3:21works of this subgenre emerged ,
3:23imagining that if the present was punk ,
3:26the future would certainly be cyberpunk
3:28. Along with the rise of technology , it
3:36is natural to think that social crises
3:38would increase , in addition to the
3:40emergence of new problems resulting
3:41from that technology . But there is a
3:45huge difference when we look at the
3:46appearance of Cyberpunk compared to the
3:48world today . It is still common for
3:51games and anime to rely on the same
3:54symbols from the 80s , such as neon ,
3:56holograms , giant screens , huge
3:57buildings , and excessive visual
3:59pollution . They work because we
4:03immediately recognize that language as
4:05a dystopian future , but that doesn't
4:07mean it has necessarily kept pace with
4:10how things actually evolved . In fact ,
4:13perhaps that is precisely where the
4:15biggest difference between the
4:16Cyberpunk future and the real future
4:18lies . While technological advancement
4:22was associated with visual excess , such
4:24as more screens , more lights , more
4:26information , more colors , and more
4:28things vying for our attention , real
4:30technology followed the exact opposite
4:32path . And I think the main change lies
4:36precisely in the way we view technology
4:38. Many things we saw in movies like
4:42Blade Runner are still very far from
4:44our reality , the kind that couldn't
4:45possibly exist here . But many
4:50technologies were surpassed long ago ,
4:52like faxes or those bizarre computer
4:55interfaces , which were so polluted with
4:57information you couldn't follow
4:59anything , and unless you were an expert
5:02, you couldn't use such a computer . And
5:06our modern computer interfaces are
5:08increasingly simplified so that as many
5:11people as possible can use a computer .
5:15And this bizarre difference becomes
5:17even more evident when we observe the
5:20devices we use every day , which is this
5:22thing here . You simply have a device in
5:27your hand more futuristic than all the
5:29computers depicted in fiction in the
5:31past , which were those machines full of
5:33buttons , lights , displays , antennas ,
5:35mechanical parts , a total bizarreness .
5:39The modern smartphone , on the other
5:41hand , followed practically the opposite
5:42path . It is a smooth glass surface ,
5:45with very few buttons , very basic
5:48colors , and a very simple interface .
5:52This doesn't happen simply because
5:54companies can't produce more colorful
5:56or visually complex objects , but simply
5:58because people prefer a design that is
6:01cleaner and more practical . You can
6:04even buy phones where you can modify
6:06your operating system , but practically
6:08no one buys that , because it is much
6:10more practical to use something that is
6:12already ready for you . And you simply
6:15have a high-tech object in your hand ,
6:18which is millions of times more
6:20powerful than a computer from that era
6:22and performs the tasks of dozens of
6:24devices at once . Like , you no longer
6:27need an MP3 player to listen to music .
6:30You probably don't use a calculator
6:32anymore because you have one on your
6:34phone . You don't use a calendar , you
6:36don't use a watch . You can read on your
6:39phone , you can watch a movie , a series ,
6:41a video , make calls , use editing
6:43software , you can work on your phone .
6:47It's definitely one of the most
6:49practical tools humanity has ever built
6:51, and it practically doesn't exist in
6:53old Cyberpunk . This thing simply
6:56replaces countless items that you
6:59basically don't use anymore . Like how a
7:02watch today needs to have more
7:03functions because you don't need a
7:05watch anymore . So they invented the
7:07smartwatch . But there is an irony in
7:10all this , because you can have an
7:12object technologically far more complex
7:14than anything ever imagined in the past
7:16. At the same time , it seems much less
7:20complex than anything else you've seen
7:22in a sci-fi movie , because you simply
7:24don't look at your phone impressed by
7:27the technology it has , especially if
7:29you were born into this generation with
7:31mobile phones . You simply ignore its
7:34existence and how it works while it
7:36sucks out your soul . If you think about
7:39the advancement of smartphones , it
7:41happens mainly on the inside , while the
7:43appearance becomes increasingly simple .
7:46And you would certainly be much more
7:48impressed by a flying car than a piece
7:50of glass , metal , and plastic . But
7:54visual simplicity positively influences
7:56the way products are perceived by
7:58people . The fewer elements competing
8:01for your attention , the easier it is to
8:04dissociate from what we are observing .
8:06This explains why so many modern
8:08products seem to share the same visual
8:11language , of being less flashy and more
8:13integrated into the environment . This
8:16logic also appears when we look at
8:18buildings . For a good part of history ,
8:22important buildings were constructed to
8:24demonstrate wealth , power , and
8:26technical capability through
8:29ornamentation , columns , sculptures ,
8:31details , elaborate forms , and
8:33decorative elements that helped convey
8:36the importance of a place . Whereas
8:39today you have white squares .
8:43Modern architecture is peculiar . It
8:46frequently uses large surfaces with
8:48straight lines and basic geometric
8:50shapes . All of this is made with glass ,
8:53concrete , steel , and a color palette
8:56dominated by white , black , and gray .
8:58And you could say that it’s ugly , and
9:00you'd be right . But from a practical
9:04standpoint , the absence of overly
9:06elaborate corners not only saves
9:07material but also makes cleaning and
9:09maintenance easier , while the white
9:11color reflects light and helps keep the
9:14interior environment more balanced . But
9:18this trend isn't restricted to houses
9:21and buildings . It also appears in
9:23televisions , computers , home appliances
9:26, and furniture in general . which often
9:29follow a similar language : smooth
9:32surfaces , simple shapes , and neutral
9:34colors . Completely different product
9:38categories end up sharing the same
9:40minimalist look . Honestly , that doesn't
9:44bother me one bit in home interiors . I
9:46actually prefer a more minimalist
9:48interior myself . But the architecture
9:51has become garbage , honestly . There's
9:54no way to like modern architecture
9:55anymore . Man , from the little
9:57experience I have , this slab here is
10:00going to collapse , man . My God . But
10:04there is one thing that really gets to
10:06me , which is cars . Yeah , especially
10:09budget cars , which are already getting
10:11uglier and full of plastic , which is
10:13technically normal because they're
10:15supposed to be cheap , even if it's not
10:17really working out well . But , honestly ,
10:21cars that used to be a symbol of beauty
10:24, like Ferrari , becoming this , is just
10:26a joke . Honestly , if you go back to the
10:3080s , Ferrari had cars like these . Even
10:34worse than that , that's when the F40
10:36appeared , which is a legendary Ferrari
10:38design . I doubt you prefer this over
10:41this . And especially going back to the
10:4580s , which was very important for car
10:47design , because many futuristic models
10:49emerged there , and I think the most
10:51iconic are Lamborghini's , which made
10:53several models , but the most remembered
10:55is usually the Countach , which is kind
10:57of boxy , which you could say is a bit
10:59strange , but I think it's an amazing
11:01car , or the Lamborghini Diablo itself ,
11:02even though it's from the 90s . It's
11:06also much better looking than this
11:09Ferrari " Bid " . Not to mention the 80s
11:11also had the DeLorean , which is the car
11:13from Back to the Future . For those who
11:15don't know , this car had a stainless
11:16steel body . And do you know what else
11:19has a stainless steel body ? This giant
11:21battery here , man . The Cybertruck
11:23simply needs no comment , especially
11:25because I don't know anyone who has
11:27found the Cybertruck beautiful like
11:28that . Fine , it might be efficient , it
11:31might be good , but in terms of design ,
11:33the guys saved on everything . So , it's
11:35as if modern technology is going
11:38through a kind of standardization .
11:40Everything is geometrically simple ,
11:42clean of information , and very sparsely
11:44colored . Even the clothes . Today , if
11:46you have a pair of jeans and a black
11:48shirt , you can go anywhere in the world
11:51, even to the beach . Because it’s
11:53simply practical . And that is what the
11:55world values today : practicality . Once
11:58we discover that something is more
11:59practical , we rarely go back to the
12:01previous version , no matter how much
12:02prettier it might be . And this holds
12:04true for the entire evolution of
12:06humanity . Human beings never
12:08intentionally regress to a less
12:10efficient tool . Practicality is
12:12something that transcends aesthetic
12:14sense . The most advanced technology we
12:17have today is increasingly hidden and
12:19compact . The more compact it can be ,
12:23the better . If you drive an old car
12:25versus a modern car , you will notice
12:27how different things are , how much more
12:29practical the modern car is . Even
12:32though the old one might be cooler , for
12:34daily use , you would likely prefer a
12:35modern car . Perhaps that is the
12:38greatest mistake of the Cyberpunk
12:40aesthetic : confusing technology with
12:43the look of technology . The smartphone
12:46is much more advanced than any computer
12:48we imagined in old science fiction , yet
12:50it’s just a small slab in your pocket
12:52. A modern car has computers , sensors ,
12:57cameras , and assistance systems with an
12:59absurd amount of technology , but on the
13:02outside , it remains a car like any
13:04other , and it doesn't fly either . This
13:07piece of junk doesn't fly .
13:08Unfortunately , the real future is
13:10exactly that . It’s not a city where
13:13you can see technology in absolutely
13:15everything , but a city where technology
13:17is so integrated into our lives that we
13:19simply stop noticing it's there . This
13:22also explains why our future seems to
13:24be so minimalist . The future of
13:27technology hasn't been trying so hard
13:29to look futuristic , but rather to
13:31disappear while it works . We simply
13:33don’t want to think about the
13:35computer while we are doing work . We
13:37just want it to work . We don’t want
13:39dozens of buttons on a cell phone . You
13:41want the most practical thing possible .
13:43You will want things that are simple to
13:45use and that save you time . And
13:47Cyberpunk imagined a future where
13:49technology visually dominated the world
13:51. But unlike that , we are building a
13:53future where it dominates precisely
13:55because it no longer needs to show
13:57itself . But one thing that resembles
14:00the genre is that we also can no longer
14:03live without it , because some core
14:05ideas of the genre remain extremely
14:07current , like large companies
14:08controlling ever-larger parts of our
14:10lives . Social inequality rising , people
14:14becoming more dependent on digital
14:16systems , and technology practically
14:18influencing everything we do . The
14:21aesthetic has certainly aged , but the
14:23idea has not . And perhaps that is the
14:26most interesting part . The future
14:28hasn't become any less technological .
14:30So , when you look at a gray city , full
14:32of identical buildings , increasingly
14:34similar cars , and people walking while
14:36staring at their phones , maybe you
14:38aren't seeing the opposite of Cyberpunk
14:40. Maybe you are seeing a more discreet
14:43version , and that is precisely why the
14:46future might end up being visually
14:48simpler . Not because we've stopped
14:51advancing , but because progress no
14:53longer needs to be intentionally
14:55displayed , or it is intentionally
14:57hidden from you , or the technology
14:59doesn't want to visually scream that
15:01you depend on it . And if you've watched
15:04this far , consider subscribing to the
15:06channel . I hope you enjoyed the video ,
15:07and thanks for watching .