cyberpunk

 Cyberpunk- a genre of science fiction that show the dichotomy between advanced technology (cyber) and a breakdown in social order (punk).  Specifically a popular theme in Japanese anime the genre often features film noir and detective elements.  The defining feature expounds upon the bleak reality brought on by cyber technologies compared to the Utopian promise traditionally associated with innovation.  Characters often appear as a synthesis of robot like qualities and human aspects.  The Matrix is an example of an actual physical version of the Japanese anime Ghost in a Shell, a famous cyber punk film.  It is an allegory for contemporary experience in a heavily commercialized, media-driven society, especially of the developed countries.  The Matrix also uses influences from different historical myths and philosophies, such as Plato's cave allegory and Hinduism.In The Matrix, the main character Neo lives a secret life as a hacker and discovers the secret that he lives in a technologically controlled fantasy world.  The hacker represents dissonance against the organization and order imposed by technology.  X-Files episode Ghost in the Machine also expounds on cyberpunk ideas in which the synthesis of humanity and technology is a threat to humanity.  This episode was inspired by the anime Ghost in a Shell.