Cyberpunk, the Postglobal and the Posthuman

There are many instances in which fluidity is an enabler for liberation. The idea of being fluid, of not fitting into distinct categories, naturally is liberatory in a world where categories and labels determine social hierarchy. Though it has been a discussed topic for a while, gender fluidity and conversations about how gender is experienced have become even more prevalent today especially among Black queer communities. The new understandings of gender and its fluid categories have freed many from conservative constraints on what is expected of specific genders and what is possible for specific genders. Though this has been a significant shift in the queer community, it is clear that the larger population has not adopted the same ideologies as there are many conversations and pushes for people to identify in distinct categories. This is most prevalent in conservative communities. One of the most glaring recent examples being when rapper Nicki Minaj joined Erika Kirk at AmericaFest and was quoted saying, “Boys, be boys…it’s okay be boys…There’s nothing wrong with being a boy. (Bynum 2025)”

It becomes clear that gender fluidity, whether that be through dress or actual gender identity is frowned upon by those who seek to keep us under harsh conservative ruling. We have seen historically and in this class that labels are able to keep us confined into specific categories. Categories that define how others are meant to treat us and the humanity that we are allotted. Historically many labels have sought to oppress rather than understand, creating hierarchal systems that leave some advantaged and others disadvantaged. These labels also do not allow for hybridity as they exist within strict, immovable confines when assigned to others.

One particular example of this fluidity has been seen in Black non-binary people. Many Black non-binary people who were assigned female at birth have been discussing their feelings of being non-binary but also still aligning with the label of being a Black woman. One Tik Tok creator outlines their feelings about this being that most of their lived experience is as a Black woman and those experiences have shaped who they are as a person inherently (Black 2021). Though many would turn their nose up at this idea, when we think about how the freedom to be fluid aids in understanding these nuances that are not available with rigidity. In this fluidity we see people outside of their immediate labels, but understand them deeper as humans based on their lived experiences and understandings of themselves. This idea is present in both Monáe’s album through the mixing of android with human, with real and imagined and in Haraway’s idea of hybridity.

Being able to be outside of the binary in a world where the binary seeks to minimize and oppress you is an extremely liberating thing. Not only does gender fluidity reject this oppression, but it brings to question what it really means to be a man or woman outside of the roles that society has assigned to those labels.

No AI was used in the creation of this blog post.

References Black, V. [@hypochrisy]. (2021, June 8) [Video]. TikTok. https://www.tiktok.com/@hypochrisy/video/6978955145086356741?_r=1&_t=ZT-9476bOhY3sE Bynum, Z. (2025, December 29). Backlash grows after Nicki Minaj’s Turning Point USA appearance; Bernice King responds. Cbsnews.com. https://www.cbsnews.com/atlanta/news/atlanta-faith-leaders-respond-as-nicki-minaj-faces-backlash-over-turning-point-usa-appearance/

The Tyrell Corporation and the Commodification of Biology

In the rain-slicked, industrial sprawl of 2019 Los Angeles, as envisioned by director Ridley Scott (1982), the sky is dominated by the massive, Mayan-inspired pyramids of the Tyrell Corporation. This architectural choice is a physical manifestation of a new kind of godhood achieved through industry. Tyrell’s corporate motto, "More human than human," serves as a chilling reminder that in this dystopian future, life itself is treated as a manufactured commodity. As Scott (1982) illustrates through the plight of the replicants, the corporation has perfected the art of creating sentient life, only to deny those beings the right to exist beyond a predetermined four-year "failsafe" period. By implanting false memories into characters like Rachael, the Tyrell Corporation effectively colonizes the individual's past to make them more manageable as "products." When the replicant Roy Batty finally confronts his maker, Eldon Tyrell, the conflict is not merely a personal vendetta; it is a clash between a biological product and the CEO who owns its patents. This dynamic reveals a foundational cyberpunk fear: that under the weight of amoral corporate interests, the individual’s identity is reduced to a line item on a balance sheet.

Tessier-Ashpool and the Digital Colonization of the Mind

While Blade Runner focuses on the hardware of biology, William Gibson (1984) explores the software of power in his seminal novel Neuromancer. Gibson introduces readers to the Tessier-Ashpool S.A., a family-run conglomerate that operates more like a hive mind than a traditional business entity. Residing in the "Straylight" villa on the outskirts of space, the clan maintains its iron grip on power through the use of cryogenics and the creation of powerful, autonomous artificial intelligences—specifically Wintermute and Neuromancer. As Gibson (1984) describes the intricate, decaying nature of the Tessier-Ashpool legacy, he highlights how the corporation has transcended the human lifespan entirely, sacrificing the individual freedom of its own family members to ensure the survival of the corporate "will." In this world, the protagonist Case is merely a tool, a "cowboy" hired to navigate a web of corporate intrigue that he cannot fully comprehend. The individual in Gibson’s sprawl is often reduced to "meat" or a "data point," useful only as long as they can serve the machine. Where Tyrell controls the body, Tessier-Ashpool controls the very environment of the matrix, suggesting that in a high-tech future, there is no corner of the human mind that a corporation cannot occupy.

The Foundation of Cyberpunk and the Loss of Agency

When examining these two seminal works together, a sobering truth about cyberpunk’s foundational concerns emerges: the individual is an endangered species. These stories reinforce each other by showing two sides of the same corporate coin. Blade Runner warns of a future where our physical bodies and memories are corporate property, while Neuromancer warns of a future where our consciousness and digital footprints are tools for autonomous systems owned by shadowy dynasties. Together, these works reveal that the cyberpunk genre is less about the "cool" aesthetic of neon lights and more about the systematic loss of human agency. Whether it is a replicant fighting for "more life" or a hacker fighting to transcend his own physical limitations, both works suggest that the greatest threat to freedom is a system that values profit and efficiency over the unpredictable nature of the human spirit. Examining these works side-by-side proves that the genre's heart is a warning: without ethical boundaries, technology will not liberate us—it will simply provide more sophisticated ways for the powerful to own the definition of who we are.

References

Gibson, W. (1984). Neuromancer. Ace Books. Scott, R. (Director). (1982).

Blade Runner [Film]. Warner Bros.

AI Disclosure Statement

AI Usage: This assignment (BP02) was developed with the assistance of Gemini, an AI by Google. The AI assisted in brainstorming thematic connections between the film and novel, structuring the analysis into a formal essay format, and ensuring the inclusion of required headers and signal phrases.