The Way of the Punk

By now, most people in the crypto space have heard of CryptoPunks, and likely the seemingly endless spinoffs of this popular style. For those that have been deeply embedded into tech-culture, the concept of "punks" isn't very confusing or surprising. Those that have been more on the periphery of deep internet culture, however, may not have the rich context of what the punk movement is all about.

To set the stage, let's get back to the foundation of the punk culture and the evolution of the tech movement that has defined this modern era:

For a lot of followers of tech culture, the historical roots of cyberpunks can be summed up in the Crypto Anarchist Manifesto, posted by Tim May in 1988. Reading this now, it seems almost prescient with its description of the technology that, as stated by May in 1988, "has existed in theory for the past decade". Even now, 30+ years later, the average consumer is only beginning to experience the realization of some of May's predictions for the future.

The movement that catalyzed this manifesto was centralized around several key themes:

1. The centralization of power, aided by advancements in technology, will bring about a dystopian future that alienates people into tribalistic groups that don't trust each other or collaborate.

2. This dystopia will be marked by insidious use of manipulative mind control in media and daily life, disguised as convenience.

3. Advancements in tech and AI will reduce the agency and usefulness of individuals within the system.

4. Corporations will seize power from democratically operated governments, leading to techno-feudalism.

Rebellion from this system centered around embracing anonymity in the digital space. By remaining anonymous, individuals could subvert the control of their overlords by engaging in Open Source Software & Protocols, digital piracy, and other forms of rebellion from the authoritarian control of those in power.

As technology evolved and the fears of the Cyberpunks became reality, a new wave of rebellion started. This movement was best summarized by Eric Hughes in A Cypherpunk Manifesto in 1993. There is a single central theme in this manifesto that is the grounding force behind the entire movement: Privacy.

Hughes himself put it quite simply in his intro:

Privacy is necessary for an open society in the electronic age. Privacy is not secrecy. A private matter is something one doesn't want the whole world to know, but a secret matter is something one doesn't want anybody to know. Privacy is the power to selectively reveal oneself to the world.

This need for privacy is what led Hughes and other Cypherpunks to adopt cryptography/encryption as the path forward in the growing digital age. These are the technological roots of the entire "crypto" industry as we know it today— although much of the industry has lost the focus on privacy for the end user. This emphasizes a point Hughes drove home in his manifesto:

We must defend our own privacy if we expect to have any. We must come together and create systems which allow anonymous transactions to take place.

Hughes and his contemporaries understood a truth that has proven itself time and time again:

We cannot expect governments, corporations, or other large, faceless organizations to grant us privacy out of their beneficence.

Cypherpunks are dedicated to cryptography/encryption, open source code, and privacy.

You didn't think it was going to stop there, did you? While most everyone has heard of Cyberpunks, since we've been watching movies about them since the late 80's, fewer have probably heard of or understand the difference between them and Cypherpunks. As culture continues to evolve, however, it would be foolish to think that Punks would stay static.

The next evolution of Punk behavior comes from an entirely new generation who was not only raised on the rebellious anarchy of the Cyber/Cypher Punk mindset, but they also saw the degradation and destruction of the natural world that we all exist within. This merged-awareness has resulted in a new movement of anarchy that is focused not only on freeing us digitally, but also embracing sustainable change in the real world.

This movement recognizes that we are already in the Dystopia of the Cyberpunk handbook. Empowered by the foundation laid out from a decade of Cypherpunks building infrastructure for encryption and privacy, Solarpunks have an optimistic view of the future. This movement is less defined by any central manifesto, but rather is a collective movement of a highly dispersed group of value-aligned activists. William Joseph Gillam attempted to create a "manifesto" as a research article into the various aspects of this movement, if one wishes to dig further into it.

Themes that you'll find among Solarpunks have more to do with regenerative economies and wholistic agricultural systems. They strive to integrate wholistic thinking not only into the technological fabric of our lives, but also into the real world that we rely on. Sustainable systems design is a requisite characteristic present in these groups. The positive sum focus is designed to create systems that generate egalitarian results, rather than opportunistic value extraction designed to funnel power and resources to the top of the pyramid of authority.

If you thought it would stop with Solarpunks, then you weren't thinking ahead enough. Just as the Solarpunks started to realize that there was more at stake here than simply our digital sovereignty— our very planet and the systems that govern our behavior on it are threatened by centralized authority— Lunarpunks represent a newly emerging generation of Punks who grew up with the dichotomous juxtaposition provided by innovations in technology and the negative impact on social systems & mental health they've had. This awareness has brought with it a resurgence of interest in spirituality, albeit a less centralized and authoritarian flavor. The Lunarpunk movement is best defined simply by examining it in comparison to the concepts that define Solarpunks and the gaps that has left for many individuals in terms of values.

Lunarpunks are often viewed as the Yin to Solarpunk's Yang. It is about the rediscovery of the individual among the collective whole. While less clearly defined, it represents a more completed picture of what it means to be Punk in the modern world.

What does the future hold for punks? It is hard to say. At least now you can speculate on it with a full picture of the robust history that has led us to where we are today.

If you found this informative, or have suggestions on how to make it more complete/accurate, I would love to hear from you! Comment here or find me on Farcaster!