Ever since the days of John Henry, we've been fighting the battle against machines, trying to prove that humanity had the upper hand on cold iron and circuitry. It took us until earlier this century to figure out that we shouldn't be trying to beat the machines: we should be joining them. Of course, it all began as prosthetics - artificial legs and hands that moved like the originals, cybernetic eyes and ears that let people born blind or deaf see and hear. Pretty soon, however, people figured out what began as medical marvels could be adapted to improve anyone's senses and abilities, and it wasn't a big jump to implanted phones and computers.
It would be nice if you had all the time in the world to get your bearings in the Sixth World. If you could walk around, see the sights, and get adjusted to what life as a shadowrunner is... but you don't have that much time. Just remember.... Everything. Has. A. Price. There are squatters looking for whatever space you're taking up, organ harvesters interested in your still-pumping heart, and more than enough hazards to fill a handful of Daily Things That Will Kill You calendars. Plus, you have to eat, which means you need to make some money, fast. Because if that's the only thing you take away from this, if that's the only thing you learn, then you'll still be getting something valuable about the world you live in. You walk around this world, you'll see a lot of heaps, and each one of them's got something perched on top of it.