Imagine a world where the concept of electricity was never fully understood, where the steam engine reigns supreme and the electrical circuit is a pipe dream. The people of this world would never stop innovating and would adapt, as humans often do, to the limitations of their machinery. Therefore, monolithic machinations would be built for relatively simple problems we might have today, and that style of industrial clothing would never go out of the mainstream. Instead it would simply become more modernized, rather than dropping out of our lives altogether. Furthermore, imagine this world not just as a fiction but as a reality in its own right that anyone can participate in, and you have Steampunk. Steampunk is not popular for its clothing or art style, but rather is popular because it instills a sense of wonder in its followers through the use of seemingly archaic technology that seems foreign and whimsical when compared to modern electronics. With the growing popularity of Steampunk, the question of what exactly Steampunk is continues to make its way onto people's lips, and for good reason. To the outside observer, Steampunk can sometimes seem like something completely unapproachable simply because the outside observer may not know anything about the genre and therefore feel uncomfortable in its presence. This lack of knowledge is understandable, Steampunk isn't necessarily taught in schools and "punk" subcultures aren't exactly mainstream. It may seem complex and is often misunderstood as a simple "industrial" fad with a few quirks. In fact, Steampunk itself is just a derivative of Cyberpunk, a completely different subculture that focuses on merging the present with the near future, both b...... half of paper ...... and when we start to thinking about what a television or computer would look like if it were entirely powered by steam is what keeps people in the subculture, what drives it forward, and what will capture the interest of a new generation of Steampunk fans. Works Cited Dahncke, Pasha Ray. “The IBM Social Sentiment Index predicts a new retail trend in the making.” IBM Industries and Solutions. IBM, January 14, 2013. Web. December 12, 2013 Jeter, KW Letter to Locus Magazine. April 1987. MS. Faren Miller. Locus Publications. Mei, Jennifer. Steampunk Bonaparte. Fantasy-magazine.com. Jennifer Mei, 2011. Web. 12 December 2013. Mondelli, Giovanni. Blood, sweat and tears. Perf. The gear is dead. The gear is dead. April 27, 2010. Web. December 12, 2013. Sontag, Susan. “The imagination of disaster”. Reading Pop Culture: A Portable Anthology. Ed. Jeff Ousborne. 1st ed. Boston. Bedford/St. Martin's 2013. 316-333. Press