Science fiction in the 21st century

Introduction

Science fiction continued to be a popular genre in the 21st century, flourishing across various media and once more expanding into so many different directions that it is hard to provide a brief summary. A major trend in science fiction literature was the rapidly rising popularity of sci-fi marketed towards young adults. Meanwhile, science fiction movies became more experimental and increasingly started to blend different genres together. Finally, TV shows became an increasingly important medium thanks to the rise of streaming services like Netflix and HBO, which led to a number of new or rebooted science fiction franchises gaining a wide audience.   

It is interesting to note that the dystopias of 21st century science fiction increasingly reflect the problems that humanity faces in this particular age. For example, many stories focus on the negative and potentially alienating impact of being constantly surrounded by digital technology and social media.

Young Adult science fiction

The early 21st century saw a strong increase in science fiction literature aimed at a young adult audience, perhaps as a natural consequence of the incredible success of previous children’s and young adult fantasy franchises such as ...