One of the best parts of Cyberpunk (as a theme) is the ubiquitisation of cultures
One of the best parts of Cyberpunk (as a theme) is the ubiquitisation of cultures
I'm talking about how pockets and islands of cultures pop up everywhere within these settings, how Cyberpunk as a whole does away with national borders and lets everyone from everywhere and anywhere suffer equally.
And we've kinda' missed the mark on that, as now culture is instead becoming eclectic. We don't have pockets of cultures, we are steadily pushing toward having a single culture, a mass of haphazard associations and little comprehension of meaning.
Keep in mind the nature of fiction. It has an obligation to create friction and conflict. Intrigue is built into a fish-out-of-water story. Reality is far stranger, and far more complex. People and culture interact in imperceivable ways, and our influence on each other isn't something we can predict. Nor is one type of culture drift good, or another bad. It isn't better or worse in reality to have concetrated pockets of similar-thinking communities. In fiction, it is narratively expedient.