Part 2: Why Are We Lonely? [Part 2] The Sense of 'Being Together' Driven Out by Efficiency
Review of the previous session: Throughout human history, material necessities for survival placed people in interdependent relationships, naturally forming a sense of 'being together.' However, with the Industrial Revolution, the foundation of this traditional communal nature began to waver.
Structural Transformation of Modern Society: How 'Efficiency' Drove Out Interdependence
Post-war Japan's 'Pseudo-Community' and Its Collapse
In a sense, post-war Japan was an era that saw the final glimmer of traditional communal nature. 'Japanese-style management,' represented by the lifetime employment system, allowed companies to function as pseudo-communities.
The company was not merely a place of labor, but an entity that enveloped the entirety of an employee's life. From providing housing and children's education to ensuring security in old age, the company took care of everything. In return, employees pledged absolute loyalty to the company. This relationship could be described as the transplantation of the rural 'honke-bunke' (main family/branch family) system into urban areas.
In local communities as well, intermediate organizations such as neighborhood associations and shopping districts functioned actively. Neighborhood relations were dense, and children were raised by the entire community. As the saying 'the three houses across and the two neighbors on either side' suggests, people lived in relationships where faces were concretely visible.
However, this post-war communal nature began to rapidly disintegrate after the 1990s.
The Collapse of the Lifetime Employment System and the Fluidity of Labor
Due to the collapse of the bubble economy and the intensification of global competition, Japanese companies began to prioritize 'efficiency' above all else. Lifetime employment and seniority-based systems were reconsidered as 'inefficient practices,' and performance-based and meritocratic systems were introduced.
This change fundamentally altered the mindset of workers. The company became a 'contractual relationship' rather than a 'community.' Employees became 'competitors' rather than 'colleagues.' Amidst the anxiety of not knowing when they might be laid off, people began to prioritize individual survival over cooperation with others.
The expansion of temporary agency work further accelerated this trend. Temporary workers do not 'belong' to a workplace; they are merely 'assigned' there temporarily. Relationships with colleagues remain superficial and fleeting, with neither the time nor the opportunity to build deep bonds of trust.
According to a survey by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the percentage of non-regular employment rose from 20.2% in 1990 to 37.2% in 2020. This signifies not just a change in employment status, but a qualitative shift in the sense of belonging and human relationships among workers.
The Hollowing Out of Local Communities and Urban Anonymity
Hollowing out has also progressed in local communities. In urban areas, relationships with neighbors have become extremely thin. It is not uncommon to not even know who lives in the apartment next door.
Participation rates in local organizations such as neighborhood associations and residents' associations are declining year by year. According to a survey by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, the membership rate for neighborhood and residents' associations fell from the 80% range in the 1990s to the 60% range in 2020. Participation rates among the younger generation are particularly low.
Behind this lies a change in lifestyle patterns. Many people have their workplaces and residences in different areas, and the increase in commuting time has reduced the time spent in their local communities. Furthermore, the decline of local shopping streets and the spread of shopping malls have led to the loss of opportunities for local shopping and interaction.
In rural areas, even more serious problems are occurring. Due to depopulation and aging, traditional local communities themselves are on the verge of extinction. With no one left to carry on festivals and traditional events, the local culture that has continued for hundreds of years is on the verge of disappearing.
The Externalization of Family Functions and the Marketization of Care
With the progress of the nuclear family, the functions of the family have also shrunk significantly. Many roles once performed by the family, such as child-rearing, nursing care, education, and entertainment, have shifted to specialized institutions and market services.
The Long-Term Care Insurance system, launched in 2000, symbolizes this change. It socialized the care of the elderly, which had previously been borne by the family, and provides it as a professional service. This was a major step forward in terms of the dignity of the elderly and the reduction of the burden on families.
However, at the same time, this change weakened the interdependent relationships within families. The opportunity for families to form deep bonds through caregiving was lost, and contact between the elderly and younger generations decreased. Families shifted from being 'providers of care' to 'consumers of care'.
Similar changes are occurring in child-rearing. Many aspects related to a child's growth, such as daycare centers, cram schools, and extracurricular lessons, have been externalized. Parents are positioned as 'consumers of educational services,' and the expertise of child-rearing has been delegated to external professionals.
Possibility of counter-evidence: However, the externalization of family functions does not necessarily bring only negative results. There are many positive aspects, such as women's advancement in society and support for the independence of the elderly. Also, new forms of family and community relationships are emerging.
One-sentence summary: The pseudo-community of post-war Japan was dismantled by the pursuit of efficiency since the 1990s, and interdependent relationships in all areas of labor, community, and family were replaced by market relationships.
Next section preview: In parallel with this change, digital technology has created new forms of 'connection,' but has it really resolved loneliness?
The New Loneliness of the Digital Age: The Paradox of Being Isolated While Connected
Essential Characteristics of 'Connections' on SNS
The spread of the Internet and SNS has brought about a revolutionary change in human relationships. It has become possible to connect with people all over the world, transcending geographical constraints. Facebook friends, Twitter followers, Instagram likes. 'Connections' that can be measured by numbers fill our daily lives.
However, 'connections' on SNS have characteristics that are essentially different from the relationships of traditional communities.
First, they are extremely superficial and fragmented. People post only the most attractive aspects of themselves, and others judge them based on that fragmented information. The totality of a human being—daily trivial worries, weaknesses, contradictions, and conflicts—is difficult to see in the world of SNS.
Second, relationships are extremely fluid and unstable. Becoming 'friends' or stopping being 'friends' is possible with a single click, and commitment to relationships is extremely low. Responsibility and obligation toward the other party are also ambiguous, and it is questionable whether these are relationships one can truly rely on when in trouble.
The Approval Economy and Quantified Human Relationships
SNS has a structure that stimulates the desire for approval and promotes comparison with others. Through quantified indicators such as the number of 'likes,' follower counts, and retweet counts, people have come to measure their own value in relative relationships with others.
This 'approval economy' turns human relationships into market-based competitive relationships. To gain more 'likes,' people perform as products and compete to attract the attention of others. Even in friendships, the aspect of mutual competition for approval becomes stronger than mutual support or understanding.
As Sherry Turkle points out, digital technology creates a paradox where it connects people while simultaneously distancing them from deep relationships (Turkle, 2011). People are connected to many others online, yet feel deep loneliness offline. This phenomenon is particularly evident in the younger generation.
Changes in Relationships of the Digital Native Generation
The digital native generation, born after the 1990s, grew up surrounded by digital technology from the time they were old enough to understand. For them, the boundary between online and offline is ambiguous, and relationships mediated by digital technology are 'normal' human relationships.
A characteristic of this generation is the change in expectations for relationships. They tend to prefer light and fluid relationships over deep and lasting ones. They choose to maintain diverse relationships in parallel rather than committing deeply to one relationship.
However, will this style of relationship bring deep satisfaction or a sense of security? As many surveys show, the younger the generation, the more strongly they feel loneliness and anxiety. The abundance of superficial connections does not necessarily lead to psychological fulfillment.
Possibility of counter-evidence: However, the impact of digital technology is not uniform. Depending on how it is used, it can also be a tool for building deep relationships. Also, caution is needed regarding generational generalizations, as there are significant individual and cultural differences.
One-sentence summary: While social media has created a new form of 'connection,' it remains superficial and fluid, failing to resolve deep feelings of loneliness.
Next section preview: So, how are these changes altering our consciousness and self-perception?
Transformation of Consciousness: A New Subjectivity Born from Changes in Material Foundations
The Formation Process of Individualistic Consciousness
Changes in the material foundations of community have fundamentally altered people's consciousness and self-perception. The most significant change is the establishment of the concept of the 'individual'.
In traditional communities, people existed as part of a group. One's identity was defined by roles within the family or village, and the needs of the group took precedence over personal desires or talents. The idea of pursuing 'being oneself' did not exist.
However, due to social changes since the Industrial Revolution, people were separated from groups and forced to exist as 'individuals.' On one hand, this change significantly expanded individual freedom and potential. Regardless of gender, background, or family lineage, individual ability and effort began to be evaluated.
At the same time, this change created new forms of anxiety and responsibility. All choices and outcomes became attributed to the individual, and both failure and success came to be seen as 'self-responsibility.' Relying on a group was negatively evaluated as 'spoiled' or 'dependent,' while independence and self-actualization became the highest values.
The Permeation of Self-Responsibility Theory and Its Background
In modern society, the term 'self-responsibility' is frequently used. If you cannot find a job, it is due to a lack of effort; if you cannot get married, it is because you lack charm; if you get sick, it is because you failed to manage your health. Every problem is treated as an individual's responsibility.
Behind this theory of self-responsibility lies neoliberal market principles. The premise is that in a market, every individual competes under equal conditions, and results are determined by individual ability and effort. In this logic, social support and protection are viewed as 'distortions' that hinder market efficiency.
However, this premise deviates significantly from reality. An individual's ability and effort are heavily influenced by the social and economic environment in which they are placed. Factors beyond an individual's control, such as educational opportunities, family environment, health status, and local economic conditions, greatly influence outcomes.
Nevertheless, the theory of self-responsibility is widely accepted. This is because it aligns with the structural characteristics of modern society. In a society where intermediate organizations have been dismantled and individuals are placed directly between the market and the state, it is difficult to find explanatory frameworks other than self-responsibility.
Changes in Expectations for Relationships
Changes in material foundations have also changed people's expectations for relationships. In traditional communities, relationships were 'something given.' The family you were born into, the village you lived in, the workplace you worked at—these relationships left no room for choice, and you were expected to do your best within them.
In the modern era, relationships have become 'something to choose.' Marriage partners, friends, workplaces, residences—everything is left to individual choice, and if you are not satisfied, it is possible to change them. This change has greatly expanded individual freedom, but it has also created new difficulties.
Freedom of choice comes with the responsibility of choice. The logic becomes that if a relationship does not work out, it is because the choice was wrong. Also, anxiety arises about whether there is always a better option. Even if one is satisfied with a current relationship, the suspicion that there might be a better partner weakens commitment to the relationship.
Furthermore, the level of expectation for relationships has risen. In traditional communities, relationships were a means for survival or production. In the modern era, however, relationships are expected to be a means for individual happiness and self-actualization. The other person must be someone who understands, supports, and helps one grow. These high expectations often lead to disappointment and the breakdown of relationships.
Possibility of counter-evidence: However, the formation of individualistic consciousness varies greatly by region and generation. Also, individualism and community are not necessarily in conflict, and new forms of coexistence are possible.
One-sentence summary: The formation of individualistic consciousness due to changes in material foundations, along with the permeation of self-responsibility theory and changing expectations for relationships, is creating new forms of psychological burden.
Next section preview: In this situation, how is the market commodifying people's desire for communality?
Next episode preview: In Part 3, we will explore the reality of modern 'pseudo-communality.' Online salons, fan communities, and virtual relationships. Do the 'connection' products offered by the market truly heal our loneliness? And where does the potential for a new form of communality lie?