By Jaci Clement
Where Does Individuality End and Society Begin?
Can a society exist, let alone prosper, if the news media continues to fragment?
We talk and study how technology has changed the way we think, and how today’s abbreviated news stories cater to our inability to pay attention. Remember when Time brought us the news we “now have a shorter attention span than a goldfish”? That was way back in 2015. Fast forward to the past few years and think about how COVID forced us to live online, all the time.
Wait. What was this about, again?
Fragmentation is why it’s so easy to forget things. But it’s also to blame for the building of the bubble — as in, I live in my bubble and you live in your bubble. Within your own individual bubble, you are the star attraction. It’s the place you express how you feel and what you think, even if you have no knowledge of a subject.
Tiny Bubbles
Somewhere in all of this, people decided they had a duty to speak out on issues. Much of the conversations that bubble up online focus on this very topic. Yet none of those conversations addresses the need to be educated on a topic before an opinion is opined online.
Of course, the news media operates inside major bubbles, doesn’t it? What’s important inside each of their bubbles is what’s reflected in their news coverage. And, in their attempt to cater to you, the news media fragments itself, to create a product that appeals to your particular bubble’s demographics.
It’s this trend that introduces us to the concept of a society of one, where we are all caught up in our own version of reality instead of seeing the bigger picture of how each of us is a part of the whole.
Do we blame technology, and the failed promise of the internet to democratize our society? Do we blame the news media, for its mastery of slicing and dicing mainstream messages to appeal to each of us? Do we blame ourselves for getting addicted to technology and living our lives online instead of in the physical world, where we don’t have the benefit of appearing airbrushed while on a perpetual vacation?
A New Promise?
Maybe it’s all of those things. Probably more. But what’s interesting is how everyone is now committed to living in their own, unique bubble, so much so that we’ve lost the connection of what it means to be a society. The battles that rage on, whether the topic is politics and party beliefs versus individual candidates, or COVID and the wellbeing of society versus individual civil liberties. Each argument illustrates, time and again, the demand for individuality to reign supreme. What’s playing out in the public conversation goes far beyond the notion of entitlement.
So where does individuality end and society begin? How can we move forward when everyone is moving in a different direction?
The promise of Web3 is now bubbling to the surface. Let’s hope it gets beyond the algorithms responsible for creating endless bubbles and sees the big picture: The advancement of civilization.