ABSTRACT
Realms of solidarity, the objects of social theories, have proved to be chimera and individualisation has taken a grip. Technology makes its contribution by distorting the social context. Long-distance communication and travel are not new, but their increasing convenience, prevalence and personalisation have snatched the time of individuals and induced change in people’s social locations that impels them to construct individualised, dynamic, non-local networks. Industrialised, formalised mass education provides ‘credentials leading to individualized career opportunities’, but in an atmosphere of competition and with standardised qualifications people are forced to ‘advertize their individuality’ and to undermine solidarity with their peers.1 People, therefore, seek sovereignty over their presentation as individuals and attempt to stay in command of their biographies which are kept by various agencies and treated as private property.
