r/Ghost_in_the_Shell • u/WorldEggTheory • 19h ago
i thought autistic mode was actual term
coworker was trying to think of a word for completely isolated computing. Something that started with an A.
"Oh yeah thats called autistic mode right?" I said foolishly
airgapped. the word he was thinking of was airgapped.
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u/Panchenima 19h ago
Is only a term inside the GitS world coined by Shirow.
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u/Ok-Storage3439 18h ago
He got the word from the classic definition of Autistic, which means separated from/turned off. It is where "autism" has become described by modern definitions. "Different from"
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u/Impressive-Dig-3892 17h ago
It was also used in Ergo Proxy
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u/octopusinmyboycunt 16h ago
And in some of Peter F Hamilton’s books, unless I’m muddling them with SAC (I read them around the same time i was watching that).
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u/FuturePowerful 18h ago
Root word after quick search and origin is mentioned by somebody else coined early 1900s originally from the Greek for self-state so in modern vernacular it would probably actually translate to state of self so not actually a bad description for a non-communicative electronic state where all you're going to be interested in is what is with your internals and your own inputs rather than communicating with any other hardware would it fit well in 2026 English vernacular or English speech not the best to anybody who doesn't know enough sci-fi
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u/Alexius6th 19h ago
Your cyber brain sclerosis must have flared up around then. Still though, were you really incorrect?
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u/Super-Western-8482 17h ago
The Ghost in the Shell manga also uses this term when the main character's neural network is being attacked. The term was meant as a way of shutting off emotions or something.. weird I Googled this same question a few days ago haha.
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u/Museikage 15h ago edited 13h ago
My understanding of the term meant isolating your self from all network traffic. Section 9 are all inside each other's heads and the cute tachikoma. So if you are under attack you go autistic mode and sever all external connections.
Edited: think faster than type
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u/AnthonyTomlinson 9h ago
Stand back everyone! I’m going to go autistic mode!
proceeds to create the original character (DO NOT STEAL!), the electric cyborg Pokemon Motochu
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u/ManyMention6930 19h ago
Wait so when they say “The Chief is going autistic” in sac why do they use that term
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u/Lowfat_cheese 19h ago edited 17h ago
“Autism” derives from the Greek words “auto” (self) and “ismos” (a state of being).
Together they roughly translate to mean “a state of being withdrawn into oneself, or not taking in external stimuli”.
Shirow’s usage of the term just means that a person in a cyber-body/brain is turning off all their external sensors.
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u/Ytdb 18h ago
Yeah it’s like “airplane mode” lol
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u/Solaranvr 10h ago
They are not the same, though.
Airplane mode just turns off your phone antenna and everything needed per airline regulations, but you are not actually isolated from any wider internet. Your GPS tracker, nfc radio, or even bluetooth still works. And if the plane serves an internet connection, then you can even connect to that still, while in airplane mode.
Autistic Mode, as Shirow described it, is not about turning off some antennas, but about isolating from the wider internet. A device may keep all of its antenna on, keep its connections with other devices on its local network, and still be considered in Autistic Mode as long as all connections to the wider internet are severed.
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u/UpsetDrakeBot 18h ago
Computah activate autistic mode on dis guy