Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex

Work Title: Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
Medium: Film
Episode Title:
Year: 2002
Writer(s): Kenji Kamiyama
"Original" Writer: Yes Writer(s): Masamune Shirow
"Original" Writer: Yes Writer(s): Mamoru Oshii
"Original" Writer: Yes Own work?: Yes
Summary:

The second season of Ghost in The Shell: Stand Alone Complex begins with Section 9 being called back to work after a hostage situation of concern to the Ruling Party renders the Police useless. The entire team returns to the front lines: Kusanagi, Batoh, Togusa, Ishikawa, Saito, Paz & Borma, with four of the original Tachikomas restored after the firefight of Episode 26. The hostage situation announced the rising of a new terrorist cell, which takes much after another one in the headlines of today's papers. The Individual Eleven, whose members are neither individuals, or total up to eleven are a new threat to Public Security. How does a specialized public security group face an enemy more faceless than the "laughing man" during a time of political unrest? Among the broad changes from the first show involve the new ruling party, headed by the new Prime Minister Kabayuki after the prior ousting in GITS: SAC, the Japanese Residents caught in the middle of the affairs and paying the taxes for jobs they're going to lose in a time of recession, and the downtrodden "invited" Asian Immigrants of the Second Vietnamese War who were brought to Japan as a half-hearted humanitarian act from the government who was really just seeking cheap labor. And just who is the man called "Gohda", a mysterious new 'supervisor' (don't worry, Aramaki still runs the group) who appears to be calling the shots for Section 9 during certain missions? He calls out orders as if he was in charge of the group, yet has no apparent loyalty or respect to the government, military or Section 9. Written by nachothecheesyone http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0346314/plotsummary

Era/Year of Portrayal: distant_future
Distinctive characteristics of the world in portrayal:

The series takes place in the near/distant future - the year 2030. In this time and place, significant advances in technology have been made both for the use in public, private, government and military sectors. Some of the most significant advances include: a cyberbrain - a mechanical casing for the human brain that allows mental interface with the Internet and other networks; prosthetic bodies - synthetic replaceable parts from hands and eyes to entire bodies; active camouflage - military use technology that allows the subject to become near invisible; think-tanks - weapons and machines that use AI to enhance their decisions and abilities.

Technology

  • Name of portrayed presence-evoking technology: Cyberbrain; cyberization; cyborg.
  • Description of the technology: In the series, the process of cyberization allows an individual to integrate their physical brain with electronic components that produce an augmented organ referred to as a cyberbrain. The emergence of the cyberbrain allows people to connect and maintain access to computer networks or other individuals with a cyberbrain. In doing so, the individual and their brain become a mobile technology device that can experience direct, constant connection with the Internet without the need for external devices. With this technology, an individual is capable of conversing telepathically with others, conduct research and access information at fast speeds without the need for tangible objects like books or computers, and enter virtual worlds for entertainment and business. The interaction can be conducted via wireless access to a computer network much like today’s wireless Internet system, or it can be directly tethered to another cyberbrain via a cable and input/output jacks built into the cyberbrain. The type of interactivity available through this technology can be minimal: one-on-one voice communication to full immersion into the cyberworld/virtual reality Internet. This type of technology provides great advances to society/culture by allowing uninterrupted, instant and constant access between individuals and the Internet. This gives individuals an ability to be more than they could had they been restricted by our natural organic state and also allows the society as a whole to progress and function faster and more efficiently than in the past. At the same time, because individuals are capable of becoming entirely cyberized with prosthetic parts, the extension of self and disappearance of a tangible natural body create psychological problems for individuals who become more cyborg than human. These transformations leave only the “ghost” that is your identity found within your brain and create possibilities for disassociation, disembodiment, identity confusion, and existentialist crisis’.
  • Nature of task or activity: The main a character, a fully cyberized female nicknamed "Major" often uses her cyberbrain to communicate with team-mates who are in different locations. This is done to maintain cover and update her team during covert operations. She is also capable of plugging directly into other cyber-brains to retrieve stored memory that can include digital information or even personal memories. The major also uses the technology to directly plug herself into virtual worlds/servers for espionage and surveillance. In these instances, her mind is transported into a virtual world which she can navigate in an avatar and directly access servers, hard-drives, etc. Additionally, she is capable of macroing - running programs and commands to perform a series of tasks through simplified commands by having access and control over think-tanks and other military AI.
  • Performance of the Technology: The technology, for the most part, operates efficiently throughout the Ghost in the Shell series. However, it is evident through various events in the series that there are major security flaws that leave the cyberbrain susceptible to meddling by various third parties. This includes but is not limited to hacking of personal non-public information that can be financial documents or private memories. Because the cyberbrain is connected to the internet, it is also susceptible to viruses that can implant false memories or even wipe the brain entirely. The cyberbrain technology is also capable of blending multiple individuals into one. However, the technology itself does not fail to do what it is designed to do, rather it is the people using the technology who find additional ways, both good and bad, to use it. Additionally, the series mentions "cyberbrain sclerosis" as a potential side-effect of having a cyberbrain where the brain tissue hardens as a response to the cyberization.
  • Description of creator(s): The Ghost in the Shell universe does not explicitly provide detail as to the inventors of cyberbrain technology. However, it provides implicit knowledge that such technology emerged as a natural part of humanity's technological evolution in a free-
  • Major goal(s) of creator(s): Technological advances in the Ghost in the Shell universe have come about through the natural progression of technology mainly driven by consumerist culture and society.
  • Description of users of technology: The cyberbrain technology is something available to any individual who can afford it. Because of this, the technology is usually apparent to the individuals using it. However, because people in this universe are capable of replacing all of their body parts except for the brain, some users are capable of losing their individual awareness and blending in with the memories and existences of other minds. This has the ability to create a hive-mind where more than one identity transforms into one entity. The series focuses on a government surveillance group composed of ex-military personnel with varying degrees of cyberization who have access to enhanced technological abilities that the public does not posses. Basically, the cyberbrain is a ubiquitous technology like the cell phone is today. It is used in every part of social life whether private, public, commercial, corporate or governmental.
  • Type(s) of presence experience in the portrayal: both
  • Description of presence experience: The presence experience can be minimal such as simple voice to voice communication, or it can be highly complex such as full immersion into virtual reality via an avatar. The presence experience allows an individual to work on multiple tasks at quick speeds within the cyberworld while still functioning in real-time within the real world. This does not always have to be the case; however, as certain tasks require different levels of concentration (e.g., hacking into a server may require full cyberbrain concentration that would temporarily make the physical body inactive.)
  • User awareness of technology during experience: Cyberbrain technology functions much like today's smart phones, except for the fact that it turns our brain into the smart phone. Individuals are aware of the technology being used but since the technology is the brain itself, the process becomes very natural to the point that the use of such presence technology becomes "natural" and ubiquitous. People are aware that technology is being used but since they are the technology, the individuals use almost becomes a natural part of the human being. Additionally, those individuals who have replaced their organic body parts with prosthetic parts can experience disembodiment and false memories.
  • Valence of experience: The technology within this fictional universe is a standard part of everyday life. However, there is a large degree of variance in regards to the pros and cons of the cyberbrain. Some in the series consider these technological advances wrong for philosophical/religious reasons, others are in favor for the enhanced functioning abilities it provides, while others find they are confused or lost within their own personal existential war created through said technology.
  • Specific responses: The cyberbrain technology provides a great deal of enjoyment via immersive virtual reality, instant connection/interaction with others, and improved task performance and skill training. The activities conducted via cyberbrain have the ability to evoke physiological reactions from the physical body: increased heart rate, arousal, perspiration, etc. However, depending on the individuals emotional balance, the technology is capable of inducing feelings of disembodiment and identity loss.
Long-term consequences:

The story does not have a finite ending when it comes to technology such as a cyberbrain. In fact, the technologies present within the series serve to accentuate the political, social and economic turmoil that is present within a post-World War 3 Japan. The technology serves to address issues of existentialism and trans-humanism within the confines of the human condition and globalization. The telepresence technology within the universe makes way for a slue of extraordinary events that include; multiple identities fusing into one and creating a hive mind, artificial intelligence developing consciousness, and immortality through cyberbrain transfer to name a few.

Other:

The entire catalog of Ghost in the Shell movies and TV shows focuses on such interesting issues of presence, singularity, transhumanism and existentialism. It addresses the very real philosophical, physiological, political, social and economic repercussions that can come to be when the organic self finally blends with ever-present technology.

Coder name: Timur Maskayev
Coder email: tuc70031@temple.edu
Coder affiliation: Temple University, Philadelphia, PA United States.