The Theory of New Individualism

In this chapter I seek to accomplish two main objectives. The first is to review and reiterate the theory of a “new individualism” that I have detailed in recent writings in social theory (Elliott, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013; Elliott & Lemert, 2009a, b; Elliott & Urry, 2010). My argument is that we witness today the conditions and consequences of a new individualism sweeping the globe, especially evident in the new economy of high finance, media and technology industries. I then want to ask how the theory of new individualism differs from other influential standpoints in recent social theory. For my purposes in this chapter, the conceptual points of comparison with the theory of new individualism will be (1) the theory of ‘technologies of the self’ as elaborated by Michel Foucault and various neo-Foucaultians; and (2) the notion of ‘reflexive individualization’ outlined by Anthony Giddens. Second, I discuss the wider sociological ramifications of the new individualist thesis. New individualism, I shall argue, is not merely about individuals or their psychological dispositions; rather it penetrates to the very core of cultures and institutional life. New individualism is thus a kind of shorthand for the variety of modalities shaping, and shaped by, global social transformations. The key institutional drivers of new individualism that I shall elaborate are (1) continual reinvention, (2) instant change, (3) speed, and (4) short-termism or episodicity. I conclude the chapter with a consideration of the likely future sociological consequences of life lived in the new individualist fast lane. The New Individualist Thesis: The Sociological Backcloth The theory of the new individualism, as originally formulated, comprises four core dimensions: a relentless emphasis on self-reinvention; an endless hunger for instant change; a fascination with social acceleration, speed and dynamism; and a preoccupation with short-termism and episodicity (Elliott, 2013; Elliott & Lemert, 2009b; Elliott & Urry 2010;). The argument, broadly speaking, is that a new individualism can be deciphered from the culture in which people live their lives today – especially (but not only) those living in the polished, expensive cities of the West. Corporate networking, short-term project work, organizational downsizing, self-help manuals, compulsive consumerism, cybersex, instant identity makeovers and therapy culture: these are just some of the core features of global individualist culture, and in this previous research the argument was developed that immersion in such an individualist world carries profound emotional consequences for the private and public lives of people.