Self-Fulfilling Prophecies: The Ideological Structure of the Dystopian Narrative

Abstract

Are dystopian narratives a form of self-disclosure for today’s late capitalist systems, or do they serve the reproduction of this order under the guise of critique? This article examines dystopian film, television series, and cartoon narratives in their political, cultural, and technological dimensions, questioning why such narratives acquire reality over time. Focusing specifically on themes such as health crises, zombie outbreaks, representations of the end of the world, and the threat of artificial intelligence, it focuses on how dystopian narratives expose the fragility of social structures, forms of power, and the existential position of the individual. Drawing on a theoretical framework ranging from Foucault’s concept of biopolitics to Agamben’s theory of the state of exception, from Jameson’s crisis of utopia to Baudrillard’s simulacrum, the study argues that dystopia is not a form of prophecy but a diagnostic practice. Using examples from television series and films, the study argues that dystopian representations not only offer visions of the future but also render visible the ethical, political, and technological crises of the present. In this context, dystopia is read as a mirror of both a critique of the system and its internalized state. The study’s central argument is not that dystopian narratives “come true,” but rather that we are gradually beginning to live within them.