How the Tone of Science Fiction Has Changed From Positive to Negative Over the Last 70 Years

Alvin Chang of The Pudding used hard data to examine how the tone of science fiction in books, films, television shows, and video has changed over the past 70 years.

I analyzed the top 200 sci-fi films and tv shows every decade from the 1950s to present day. What I found was that sci-fi narratives from yesteryear were quite different from today’s stories.

Chang found that the stories from the 1950s a worldwide existential threat that was made right in the end, while more modern stories speak of the world as a dystopian or apocalyptic place full of inequality and cruelty.

Today’s sci-fi is more likely to depict a world that is worse than our reality. …This world is almost always marked by economic inequality, human suffering, and sometimes even a militarized authoritarian society.

In other words, the data reveals that the sci-fi of yesterday was a lot more positive than it is today.

The data shows us that what used to be an optimistic and inspiring genre has evolved to reflect our own fears and anxieties.

via FlowingData