The Annenberg Innovation Lab held the event The Uses (and Abuses) of Science Fiction Thursday night at Annenberg Auditorium. The speakers were science fiction writer and Boing Boing weblog founder Cory Doctorow, Intel 'futurist,' also known as technological predictor, Brian David Johnson, and Provost's Professor of Communication, Journalism, Cinematic Arts and Education, Henry Jenkins.

The event is part of the "Geek Speaks" series, which hopes to bring a diverse array of industry professionals to Annenberg to discuss the impact of nerd culture on their professions. As Professor Jenkins put it, the series was founded as “geek bait,” a place where self-proclaimed USC geeks can come together to dissect beloved subjects.

The panel first spoke about the meaning of science fiction and its uses in culture. The speakers agreed that the best science fiction is highly opinionated about the future and cited Star Trek as the epitome of this opinionated sci-fi media. They then analyzed the various types of science fiction available. This promoted an in-depth discussion on the definiton of a dystopian and utopian vision, with each man viewing these two sci-fi staples in distinct ways.

The conversation transitioned into a discussion on how the internet and other modern technologies subvert and affirm sci-fi writer's wildest predictions. Society's current access to information is beyond any science fiction writer's previous predictions. They agreed that it is an invigorating achievement, one that has changed modern science fiction and the very way consume media.

The men briefly mentioned the potential downsides of science fiction. The most prominent is its ability to amplify perceived threats and societal ills to extreme levels. In their opinions, sci-fi has also created a “gap of expectations” by setting an unfair standard for technological advancement. People expect engineering miracles, such as jet packs and sentient robots, without realizing the steps and consequences necessary for advancement.

Overall though, their opinion of science fiction's impact and future potential was a positive one. The group was optimistic for the technological landscape of the future, but advised that we should approach each advancement with reason and caution.

For more information on the upcoming Geek Speak events and the Annenberg Innovation Lab visit the website here.

 

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