“Belief Initiates and Guides Action—Or it Does Nothing”: An Exploration of the Political Functions of Watching and Reading Dystopian Fiction

Cognitive Feature

Based on the participants’ opinions, the first dystopian feature observed is cognitive. In this regard, as dystopia is generally categorized as a narrative rooted in the present, which criticizes or warns of negative trends that may continue and become worse, this has made the participants reflect on issues linked to the time in which they live. Nevertheless, the cognitive feature is not watertight, and is sometimes in contact with emotional aspects, yet in such cases these emotions are rationalized. In this function, the participants observed topics such as social inequality in Spain through the Spanish show La Valla or machismo in The Handmaid's Tale.

The foregoing definitions of genre indicate that the participants see it as a reflective and self-conscious narration of their own context. As such, they point out that dystopias are not detached from their own reality and these products make them think about their surroundings. To illustrate this point, the participants in Group 1 (dystopian viewers) argue that dystopia is a genre that highlights negative aspects of our present in order to give warnings about such issues, and to reflect on the consequences of human action: “I think if it works really well, the reason is that it's not so far from reality; this happens, and that happens, and so on…” (Participant 6). In this regard, Participant 4 expresses his concern about the dictatorial government of Putin in Russia. In the same group, Participant 3 makes the following comment:

It's our world, but one version of our world, which has changed, whether it's futuristic or not. It's kind of abstract, but a typical dystopia would be The Hunger Games. It's like a facet of our society that has expanded so much that it has taken us to another reality. Science fiction is dystopian.

In similar terms, Group 3 (regular viewers) sees dystopia as a negative narrative, warning of trends to be avoided: “It would be terrible for this to happen to society, but it's a way of warning people not to continue doing what they’re doing, because if we keep going this way, we’re headed for a bad ending” (Participant 16). In short, Participants 13, 16, and 17 affirm that a dystopian narrative highlights a current negative trend in order to show the reader or viewer what society could be like if humanity were to continue following that path. Thus, by making these connections, the objective of a dystopia “is to arouse our conscience” (Participant 16). In fact, Participant 17 argues that Aldous Huxley's Brave New World pointed to this issue in his novel: how consumerism and the rationalization of capitalism would lead to a society without social ties. Likewise, it was mentioned in Group 4 (experts) that dystopia is a “pessimistic view” (Participant 20) with issues related to the present time, as they are “a way of seeing or expressing our fears, uncertainties, and the kind of society we think we’ll have in the future” (Participant 21). As highlighted by Participant 21, we can observe these trends in our present, exemplifying the radicalization of the republican party in the United States. Moreover, the group explains the reason for this connection with the present, which is nothing less than the limits of imagination, as the viewer or reader must feel that there is a link with their surroundings in order to make sense of the text or viewing (Participant 22).

Group 5 (not avid viewers) starts with the same idea. Although it may be considered improbable nowadays, dystopia is nourished by negative features of the current context (Participant 27), which you want to avoid happening in the future (Participant 25): “It doesn’t necessarily have to be real, but real enough for us to see ourselves in that situation…” (Participant 28). In this vein, Participant 28 recalls her experience through the pandemic (Covid-19) and mentions that the apocalyptic landscape remembers her in some way the films of Mad Max. Overall, dystopia is presented by the group as a story set in an alternative reality with negative connotations, an example of which is control through technology: “It's part of our current society and it's like… our current society ends up being controlled by that technology” (Participant 24). In line with what was expressed by Participant 22 of the previous group, Participant 25 sees the need for a dystopian story to relate to some aspect of the current society in order to connect with the audience: “I think in the end, all these types of films and series are at least partly based on the society we know, so that they can connect with the audience.”

Consistent with the foregoing, all the discussion groups linked a dystopian topic, or a specific dystopian story, to aspects of contemporary society. In this sense, as a result of the debate on dystopian stories, the participants commented on negative situations in those stories that they consider are similar in the present, regardless of how near or far away the setting of this negative aspect might be. Specifically, the dystopian themes that the participants have linked to the current context, whether near or far, are technology, political systems, social inequality, the market, and pandemics. These dystopian links with the current situation occurred gradually in all the questions on the sheet, being predominant in the projective question, where these associations were directly inquired. However, it should be noted that this question was somewhat difficult, because although it was answered by all groups, some participants expressed discomfort at having to associate their own surroundings with a dystopian narrative (Groups 1 and 5).

In terms of technology, Participants 1, 3, and 6 debated the issue of information systems, social networks, and the metaverse, discussing the application of the latter to the current setting and its implications, in addition to the power of SNs and Infosys as well. In this line, Participant 3 mentions that Instagram or social media like that are already similar to the narrative of Black Mirror show, as function as an oppressive tool that pulls people to act irrationally. As such, dystopian narratives that focus on the scope of technology have raised concerns among participants, who have reflected on the ways certain organizations use IT and the consequences of such uses for citizens. The issue is not that participants see technology as having a malevolent purpose per se, but rather that certain uses could make it a sinister instrument against society. In fact, Participant 11 from Group 2 highlighted the fact that he considers himself a technophile and that dystopian narratives can serve as a pedagogical tool for learning how to relate to technology.

In terms of political systems, participants have associated the dystopian genre with current governments, an example of which is the link between the Years and Years TV miniseries and the Donald Trump administration in the USA (Participant 3, Group 1) or, more generally, the war in Ukraine fomented by Vladimir Putin (Participant 4, Group 1).

Group 3 also mentioned US politics as a dystopia, and Participant 14, who is a social democrat, mentions the racism of the institutions: “To me, it reminds me of the United States at the societal level, and all that kind of thing; for me, the United States is a dystopia that affects everything, and it's capable of doing very disturbing things, like the racist policies of Donald Trump for four years.” Along the same lines, in conversations about The Handmaid's Tale, Participant 15 of Group 3 notes that the narrative reminds her of the US context. Regarding the Spanish setting, Participant 7 of Group 2 mentions the state security forces, and while talking about the series La Valla [the wall], the person mentions that these institutions, which are obligated to ensure the safety of citizens, might not fulfill their role, and they could act as part of a repressive system.

In similar terms, Participant 18 from Group 3 comments on the similarity between the La Valla and the current circumstances in Spain, yet not in the sense of the type of government imposed, but more in relation to existing social inequality. In this regard, the participant explains that in the fictional Spanish society of La Valla, a virus threatens the health of the citizens, which the government exploits in order to establish an authoritarian state that controls the population. Participant 18 emphasizes that the circumstances in the story are not similar to the real situation in the present day. Instead, the result is what is similar, which is a very hierarchical society where the privileged social class seems to live without restrictions or fear, while the majority of society lives in poverty and repression. Thus, regarding the idea that TV series mirror reality, this participant reflects on the existing inequalities in Spain. Likewise, Participants 15 and 13 of the same group define dystopia as a genre that offers a warning about the danger of social privilege, and they relate this theme to the current Spanish context, reflecting on the aggression directed against vulnerable groups (Participant 15), including people being evicted from their homes (Participant 13).

Finally, a common topic in all the groups was the Covid-19 pandemic. For some groups, the pandemic has been linked to power structures and social class, such as those previously mentioned in La Valla, or to extreme surveillance (Group 5). Yet for others, it is described solely within the Covid-19 framework along with personal perceptions of life in the city based on health restrictions. For example, in Group 5, Participants 27 and 28 commented on The Truman Show and its application to the real world after the pandemic. In this regard, the participants commented that citizenship seemed to become a consumable product and that surveillance went beyond governmental barriers to become the citizens’ role.

The Feature of Rejection Toward Issues Perceived as Socially Negative

The second dystopian feature observed based on the participants’ opinions is that of rejection. In this regard, as dystopia is defined as a sociopolitical genre with negative features, it has been described with characteristics that are considered socially undesirable. Therefore, this feature includes the participants’ own descriptions and judgments of the various dystopian topics. Although they are sometimes descriptions, it should be noted that there is an emotional component to these statements, as the participants consider these aspects to be clearly negative. On some occasions, these topics coincide with those mentioned above regarding the cognitive feature, yet they differ in the sense that this section is not compared with the participants’ own surroundings.

The first topic within this rejective feature is technology. In this regard, participants have stated that technology often plays an important role in dystopian narratives, though not always. There is a sense of rejection, examples of which include human modification and the excessive use of social networks and information systems. As an illustration, human modification is pointed out by Participant 6 of Group 1 (dystopian viewers), who expresses concern about the plot of the Severance series in which humans have a chip installed in their bodies that separates their work and personal lives. Also in Group 1, Participant 2 mentions the series Black Mirror, and underscores the capability of using social media as a control mechanism. Regarding the same series, Participant 11 of Group 2 (regular dystopian viewers), who declares himself to be a technophile, explains that social networks can be used as an instrument for social control, and that such intentions should be avoided. Thus, Participant 11 believes that these technological themes should have a pedagogical purpose, and these dystopian plots can be used to teach people how to relate to technology.

Other themes that are addressed include precariousness, environmental concerns, violence, class differences, and even aging. For example, Participant 15 of Group 3 (regular viewers) describes the society in the Divergent saga as “precarious,” and The Hunger Games as a society where the high class uses the members of the lower class for their own malicious entertainment. In Group 4 (experts), Participant 20 points out the rejection of aging of the film Logan's run, a fact that impressed her because this dystopian society, similar to her present, considers that after a certain age, human beings are worthless.

Participant 13 of Group 3 points out that the vulnerability of the “rubbish eaters” is a topic that had a strong impact on her. The term is highly explicit in itself, as these are the protagonists of the novel entitled Madrid Frontera [Madrid border]. Here we see an example of two features being superimposed, since regarding the same novel, the participant points out in another comment that certain aspects of the book remind her of her current setting. In fact, she ends by remarking that although the situation in the book is overstated, it reminds her of the current context in Spain. However, regarding the case that concerns us, it is closer to the rejective feature because of the terms used, such as “very brutal” in referring to the terminology of the novel, as well as the displeasure in describing the situation. In this regard, in the comments recorded by the moderator during the discussions, a higher level of emotional involvement by the participant was noted in these comments.

Warning Feature

In this category, the participants described dystopia as a genre that gives warnings about negative trends that might affect human coexistence in the future. Here, factors such as hope come into play, or in other words, the possibility of dismantling oppressive structures and achieving a dignified way of life for humanity. Nevertheless, the participants have identified this genre as having the potential to warn readers or viewers about certain issues. As Participant 15 of Group 3 (regular viewers) points out in the wake of The Hunger Games and the dangers of privilege, “There is always a goal, of hope, of fighting against the chains of the people at the top….” In the same group, Participants 15, 17, and 18 label this genre as warnings and caution, as Participant 17 explains with the novel 1984, “there is a system that claims that everything is fine, but it's not, and you have to get out of that lie.” In the same vein, Participant 24 of Group 5 (not avid viewers) argues that dystopias follow a pattern, “which is that the protagonist is someone who suddenly realises, hmmm, there's a big problem in the society where the characters live, and the setting they share is deluded, and someone needs to break that control, don’t they?” This view is shared by Participant 6 of Group 1 (dystopian viewers) as well: “I would say that this person's system needs to be overthrown; there is extreme dissatisfaction toward the system, so it needs to be dismantled.” Most importantly for this participant, “There is still hope that it can be changed.” In similar terms, Group 2 (regular dystopia viewers) points to dystopia as an educational narrative (Participant 11), which “obviously” includes a “message of hope or change, or at least raised awareness….”

Speculative Feature

We have already mentioned that one of the features of dystopia is its essence of speculation, or in other words, it explores what would happen if a negative trend gained a foothold in society. Accordingly, the participants have used dystopian narratives to inquire into situations they consider negative, and to speculate on what society would be like if those trends continued. Thus, the speculative feature is inextricably rooted in the imagination of the participant, who speculates about possible future scenarios of humanity. In short, unlike the cognitive feature, which is grounded in the current setting, the speculative element creates an imaginary scenario.

To begin with, in some of the definitions offered by the participants, we find indications of the speculative feature attributed to dystopia. In Group 3 (regular viewers), Participant 16 makes the following comments about the genre: “What a mess society would be in if this happened,” adding that dystopias portray past, present, and future alternatives in order to determine what society would be like in such circumstances, an example of which is “The Handmaid's Tale, which speculates on what would happen if certain circumstances occurred, and a certain political group took power….” Along the same lines, Participant 2 of Group 1 (dystopian viewers) notes that the genre presents “an alternative world,” a statement that is expanded by Participant 6, who argues that a dystopia starts from our present, “but there is something, as has been said, of this world, whether it is war or economic inequality or whatever, that a dystopia exaggerates and takes it even further, up to the highest level…” (Group 1). In similar terms, Participant 22 of Group 4 (experts) offers some comments on the genre, describing it as a narrative that speculates on the possibility that a present fear, whatever the circumstances may be, could possibly occur in an imaginary future scenario.

With this feature of speculation, issues like imposed authoritarianism, a change in living conditions on Earth, or human exploitation emerge. On the first point, works such as The Man in the High Castle and The Handmaid's Tale reflect on the living conditions in dystopian societies and what would happen if such situations became a reality. Commenting on The Man in the High Castle, Participant 14 of Group 3 (regular viewers) points out the apocalyptic potential the Nazi regime would have had, if it had won the Second World War, and with today's technology at its disposal. Participant 16 (Group 3), as well as Participant 23 (Group 2, regular dystopian viewers), discuss The Handmaid's Tale and the exploitation of women. In describing the story, Participant 16 comments on the possibility of a political party taking complete control of a country due to an environmental disaster that leads to infertility. In Group 4 (experts), a similar discussion arises. Regarding the same series, Participant 23, who is a feminist and environmentalist, states that women are exploited for reproductive purposes in a future society where “all of humanity is now in a state of complete decadence.”

Ideological Feature

As a result of the dystopian stories, participants have identified and reflected on different political ideologies. Among the different aspects discussed, features such as the development of social classes, the myth of romantic love, and authoritarianism have emerged.

One of the most hotly debated topics was authoritarianism, which is a system of control that reminds us of novels such as 1984: “We’re nearly there… the eye that sees everything…” (Participant 1, Group 1, dystopian viewers). In the same vein, Participant 9 describes dystopia as a genre typified by the portrayal of social ills caused by the controlling force of some imposed power from above. For this participant, such a dynamic is caused by “some kind of corruption, or too much ambition,” which is counteracted by another ideologeme, solidarity: “You have to go back, like to your origins, or let's say to something more natural, or… in the end, you have to look for some kind of social consensus or social empathy; in other words, if we all work together we can control the situation we’re in now.”

In Groups 2 (regular dystopia viewers) and 3 (regular viewers), issues of authoritarianism also emerged, pointing to the loss of choice as an issue of concern. Regarding the Divergent and Hunger Games sagas, Participant 8 made the following comment: “At the very end, they’re forcing you to leave your family and go to a place where no one is going to talk to you, and if you don’t finish, you’re banished to another place, and no one there will talk to you either….” In the same group, Participant 7 describes the dystopian society of La Valla, in which the government conducts experiments on poor citizens. This view is echoed in Group 3, where Participant 16 emphasizes state repression and the loss of awareness through alienation as a dystopian feature. Participant 9 later argues that what ends up happening in this type of situation is the loss of individuality, or as Participant 14 of Group 3 puts it, you become part of the “mass.” Thus, another of the ideological features of dystopia is the concept of society as a consolidated unit where citizens have lost their ability to act on their own.

Continuing with other ideological themes, participants point to warmongering and social inequality. Social stratification is mentioned by Participant 7 of Group 2, who describes the series La Valla: “The ones backing it are the rich, the powerful, and others, and on the other side are the common people, and to leave they have to go through all the control stations of the security fence, just to go to work, and so on.” In addition to the aforementioned themes, Participant 21 of Group 4 (Experts), points out the multitude of possible topics, such as “criticism of the health care system, of feminism, criticism of… I don’t know, digitisation, a change of the system.” Such topics are related to different political ideologies. The same participant continues: “What I’m saying is that a few years ago, dystopias tended to go toward the right wing, and now, especially in the USA, dystopias tend to be left wing, so in some casses the bad guys were from certain political ideologies, and now the bad guys are from others.” This variety is also addressed by Group 1. For example, in the wake of the Squid Game, Participant 1 emphasizes social Darwinism, suggesting that the characters’ roles in the series determine the survival of the fittest. In fact, it is common for participants to say, “It's like real life,” thus applying this type of feature to her own surroundings. In other words, she uses the narrative as a social mirror, thereby reflecting on human nature. Someone in Group 3 made a similar observation as well, when Participant 15 mentioned The Hunger Games saga, saying that humans are distinct in their need for competition: “At the end of the day, there will always be someone who wants to be above someone else.”

Finally, ideologemes linked to feminism were mentioned by Group 1 (dystopia viewers), such as the myth of romantic love: “[About the film The Lobster], about gender roles and the clichéd ideal of romantic love. I don’t know what it means, this idea of eternal love, or having children to save a marriage…” (Participant 3, Group 1). In addition, from a more essentialist perspective, Group 4 discussed Christianity and the soul, based on the film Blade Runner.

Narcotic Feature

As mentioned above, rather than having specific features, dystopian narratives might act as a type of narcotic that numbs the conscience. It is worth noting that this dysfunction only emerged from Group 2 (regular dystopian viewers), when Participants 9 and 11 mentioned it is as a probability rather than a definite fact. Indeed, on other occasions, the same participants called the genre a narrative with a consciousness-raising message. In this regard, Participant 9 argued that dystopia might be in line with news stories, combining gruesomeness with warnings, leading to “a mixture of fear, like saying well, you see it does happen, and on the other hand, you kind of accept it little by little through fiction” (Group 2). Participants discuss the movie I, Robot, and the series Westworld. In this sense, they recall from the plots the difficult distinction between humans and androids, the violence exercised toward the latter (especially in the case of Westworld) and how the fictional society accepts such abusive actions. Continuing with this thread, Participant 9 stresses that apocalyptic stories can be counterproductive in large doses, because when faced with media saturation, hideous stories might become mere anecdotes that become oblivious to the viewer.