Type 8 Societies

A Type-8 society could be characterized as the "cyberpunk" future. As the planet's resources are used up (ten billion is about the maximum population an Earth-sized planet can support), the global economy comes to rely heavily on space-mining --which means that the greatest economic growth will be of the corporations performing the mining, with little of it redistributed to the bulk of the terrestrial population. The social backlash to this leads to a widespread counter-culture; an entire generation of impoverished renegades with nothing to lose, but nothing to gain either.

For those locked out of the system, life is harsh, unforgiving, and short. (Akira, 1988)

This is a period of rapid change; this society is committed to a future in space, and will be deliberately seeking the technology to make that happen --"pure" science takes a back seat to corporate R&D. In space, corporate engineers will be racing to develop better shielding, engines, and artificial gravity --all necessities to further the exploitation of the system's interplanetary resources.

As asteroid mining techniques become more sophisticated, AI programmers will work toward entirely self-sufficient drones. Advances in AI tech will eventually spread to the wealthy, to the consumers, and finally to the slums as simple robots become more prevalent throughout society.

Initially, only the wealthy will have access to robotic servants. (Bicentennial Man, 1999)

In popular culture, two competing narratives will play out: one argues that all problems can be solved through technology (heroes will be engineers and inventors), while the other argues that social problems are insurmountable, and that decay is inevitable (heroes will be harsh survivalists) --apocalyptic fiction without the apocalypse.

The main problem faced by this society will be social collapse, as the bulk of the population seeks to escape increasingly intractable lives, either through drugs, crime, or religion. A Type-8 society will be worldwide, so war becomes unlikely --most armed conflicts will be between corporate factions vying for control or dominance (or culling the population of "undesirables"). Instead, with even the poor having full access to the network, cybercrime and electronic warfare will become weapons of resistance, triggering disproportionate reprisals (because they actually pose a financial threat).

Footprint: Solar orbit.

Sustainable Population: Ten billions.

Government: Representative democracy, corporatocracy.

Bureaucracy: Autonomous and labyrinthine. Society is now ruled by corporate-states, which may exist in a coalition, effectively forming an independent global government.

In 2077, the Corporate Congress serves as a unified Earth government, with no oversight or regulation. (Continuum, 2012)

Language: Complex and adaptive, with multiple dialects linked more by function and social class than ethnicity. Technologically-assisted translation is widely available.

Literacy: Universal.

Network: Universally accessible, corporatized and heavily controlled by automated algorithms that marginalize any unpopular or undesirable content. Most actual processing is decentralized into the "cloud" --citizens use terminals, which are useless on their own. Access is seen as fundamental need --those who aren't on the network aren't members of society, and those who control the network control society.

Religion: Organized, with multiple denominations. Politically active, but with limited overt influence due to the corporations.

Science: Digital technology is ubiquitous. Semi-sapient AI is likely --the field of cybernetics is advancing rapidly, as this society relies on robotic drones to mine asteroids and build spacegoing facilities. Synthetic bodies can be made perfectly life-like (on the surface, at least). Augmented reality tech allows limited holography (via eyewear and contact lenses). Early experiments in magnetic shielding and gravity control are under way as this society adapts to space. Cloning and fully-in-vitro reproduction is possible. More advanced mecha are possible, thanks to advances in materiel, engineering, and power systems. Spacegoing mega-engineering projects are in their infancy. Cryogenics technology is able to place subjects into indefinite stasis.

Medicine: Fully lifelike prosthetics are readily available, and cybernetic modification is likely, meaning that "medicine" now includes cybernetics, engineering, and programming. Surgeries are common and safe, and fully-equipped hospitals are present in every community (with government or corporate oversight for "safety"). It is now possible to create a digital map of an individual brain, and to create neural-computer interfaces. Genetic modification is beginning to become common (to cure congenital conditions), and limited biological augmentation is possible --with accompanying social backlash against transgenic people. The first fully-engineered (parentless) person will likely be born in this era.

A full cyborg prepares to transfer her cyberbrain into an undamaged body. (Ghost in the Shell: Stand-Alone Complex, 2004)

Education: Organized multi-tier education is universally accessible. Computer use is now taught alongside reading and numeracy, and school will include robotics and programming courses. Larger universities will likely be corporate-sponsored or government-run. Indoctrination and social engineering are accepted elements of childhood.

Energy: Green technology will proliferate on-planet, and space facilities will rely heavily on high-yield fuel cells and solar power. Atomic generators are becoming safer and more compact (a permanent spacestation will probably include a low-yield reactor). Scientists are actively investigating higher-yield prototypes --cold fusion will likely be invented during this period.

Industry: Mechanized mass-production is common. Personal fabricators are common and reasonably sophisticated, with modification or customization of mass-produced goods held as a status symbol. Blueprints and schematics for fabricators will be heavily copyrighted by corporations, though data-piracy will be a thriving industry.

Military: Industrialized, and possibly driving its own industrial/technological revolution (regardless of whether or not this technology is necessary or practical). Biologically, chemically, or cybernetically-augmented soldiers are likely (whether by choice or forced conscription), representing a distinct military class --these soldiers will be "lifers," with no possibility of rejoining civilian life. Industrial espionage and cyberwarfare are common, and bioweapon threats are as routine as nuclear drills once were. The ease of producing these weapons will necessitate a security state; drone surveillance will be ubiquitous, and armed, militarized police will be common.

Civilian police departments are gradually being replaced by heavily-armed corporate-owned militias. (Robocop, 1987)

Economy: Complex trade in both physical and virtual commodities. Physical currency will become obsolete, bolstered by space-based society (which won't want to carry any weight it doesn't absolutely have to), prompting an increase in cybercrime and cybersecurity --hands-on piracy will be too dangerous and unprofitable. Corporations are now wealthier (and more powerful) than most nations. As some populations are squeezed into offline poverty, free-form bazaars and markets will re-emerge, dealing in second-hand wares to those outside the system. Some sub-nations will be completely given over to particular industries --their economies have been completely subsumed into the global economy in the interests of remaining competitive, and they are no longer self-sufficient.

Food: All food is produced on factory farms and heavily processed, with synthesized nutrients and supplements to account for dietary concerns and resource shortages. Some populations may be dependent on processed nutrients, unable to survive on less-nutritious "natural" foods. Some citizens may not even be aware that food comes from plants and animals --there is sufficiently little "wilderness" left for it to matter (most non-domesticated species are likely extinct).

Travel: Computer-guided vehicles become increasingly common, especially for long-distance travel. Travel up and down the gravity well (for work and expensive novelty vacations) is corporatized and becoming routine.

Spaceflight: Space travel is carefully planned and controlled, with ships carrying barely enough fuel to accelerate and decelerate --every manoeuvre must be planned out well in advance, with terrestrial mission-control provided by either a corporation or a (by now grossly underfunded) government agency. A sophisticated satellite system surrounds the planet, and drones are conducting asteroid mining and charting neighbouring worlds. Automated facilities and outposts may be stationed at solar Lagrange points. Some drones might have left the solar system and entered interstellar space. If a moon is present, there will likely be a semi-permanent moon base, as well as several large orbital space-stations. Astronaut training is streamlined and simplified --the need for more trained astronauts means lowering entry qualifications, which is made possible by safer and simpler launch vehicles. This society will be capable of building sleeper-ships for one-way interstellar voyages.

The Tenkaidou serves as Earth's first line of defense against an alien invasion, as well as the construction site for an interstellar ark. (Captain Earth, 2014)

Alien contact: Delicate. This society will likely be stratified between warriors (the military), opportunists (the planet's rulers), and the genuine explorers (hired by the corporations to further their ends) --those encountered in space will likely be curious and open to communication contact (though their behaviour may be constrained by their corporate overlords). Avoid a planetary landing unless directly invited; this may be seen as an invasion. This society will be evident upon entering the system, or even from neighbouring star systems, though stray radio broadcasts will have largely ceased in favour of directed tight-beam digital transmissions. This society may already have detected microbial life on other worlds in their solar system.

This society may include a spaceborne civilian population, usually the families of adult space workers. (Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century, 1999)

Examples (reality):
Examples (fiction): Earth circa World War III. The settings of Time of Eve (extrapolated from AI development), Yukikaze, Captain Earth, Bubblegum Crisis 2040, Ghost in the Shell, Akira, Robocop, Elysium, Chappie, Jeff Vintar's I, Robot, Metropolis, the other Metropolis, Astro Boy, Bicentennial Man, Batman Beyond, Extant, Defying Gravity, Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century, Continuum's 2077, and BttF's 2015. Society in Dark Angel was clearly headed here when the Pulse hit (judging by the presence of genetically-engineered X5s).