Science Fiction Metaphors and Technological Anxiety: Entry Points and Focal Perspectives in Cutting-Edge Communication Studies

Abstract

In recent years, the dramatic rise and fall of the “metaverse”—from a capital-driven frenzy to the reality of technological stagnation—has revealed the deep-seated relationship between science-fiction metaphors and contemporary technological anxiety. Drawing on classic science-fiction texts such as Snow Crash, this paper examines how fictional virtual worlds mirror real-world tensions and contradictions. It identifies several frontier topics in communication studies that can be productively approached through the lens of science-fiction metaphors, offering multidimensional pathways for scholarly inquiry within speculative contexts. The author argues that cutting-edge communication research should remain grounded in social reality and adopt “sociotechnical imaginaries” as a theoretical framework. By integrating China’s local practices, such research can help correct cognitive biases arising from both technological optimism and pessimism, mitigate pervasive technological anxiety, and cultivate constructive social orientations. Ultimately, strengthening communication scholarship’s interpretive authority over technological change can contribute to the harmonious development of technology and human civilization.