Delany’s Triton feels like a place similar enough to earth that we can draw parallels to Earth, but there are stark differences that place it as a future society.
One of the commonalities that I noticed was the mention that the government has at least 10 hours of surveillance footage on everyone that lives on Triton, but that it is very unlikely that they ever look at any of it. Ever since the beginning of the cold war, which brought massive improvements in technology used to spy, it was a common thought in American’s minds that the government was in some way watching or listening to them. This has become even more omnipresent, as it is unlikely that you can walk down any street of Manhattan without being captured by at least one camera. However, unlike in Delany’s novel, although a human might not be looking at the surveillance footage, in our culture there is definitely something that takes into account what you do. Retailers like Macy’s and Nordstrom assign you to your email using gps and cameras to study what you look at in their stores, and then send you discounts online for the same or similar items. Google and other online companies take your browser history, and possibly even words you speak from your microphone, and target ads to make a large percentage of their revenue
Another relatable thing Delany inserts right off the bat is little unfortunate things that might be common to us in today’s age, specifically the ego machine breaking down and his card getting stuck. This is to show that even in this advanced civilization where technology has progressed to the point that people can live on the moon of Neptune, little inconveniences that we deal with can and do still happen, thus giving the story a layer of relatability.
The setting is different yet similar, especially to a person like me that grew up in a big city. There are the parts of the city that are considered “safe” and other parts that are “not safe” even though the chance of something bad happening to you in these unsafe areas is still extremely statistically low. There are bustling squares full of foot traffic, as well as the concept of a rush hour, where everyone is trying to get home from work at the same time.
Triton’s society, for its immediate similarities, also has a few differences that make sure we know this isn’t the world we live in. This society seems to be a freer version of ours, where it is socially acceptable to present yourself in any way that you want to. This is seen in the way that people dress, or fail to dress, as well as how it is socially acceptable to copulate with whoever you want, or change your sex or preferences at will with technology. It appears to be based on some sort of capitalist economic base, but there are socialist aspects such as the right to food and shelter for anyone that wants.
Another difference that is noted is the presence of a containment shield, although we are not told what this containment shield does or how it functions. If this book were written by an Eastern Bloc SF writer, I don’t think we would have gotten a mention of this containment shield without a full explanation of what it did and how it functioned. However, since this is a Western SF book, there doesn’t need to be an in depth explanation, a typical stylistic choice found in the genre.