Around the turn of the century, Christopher Lasch wrote “Culture of Narcissism” about a rising trend in American culture, in which he explains how people developed self-centered lifestyles and psychic solutions to ailments left by a bloody historical reckoning – a new narcissism that relied on the collapse of collective identity and the coddling self-care of individualism. However, the new millennium was optimistic, and hobbies infused with hippie-dippie sentiment seemed harmless.
“After the political turmoil of the ‘60s, Americans have retreated to purely personal preoccupations. Having no hope of improving their lives in any of the ways that matter, people have convinced themselves that what matters is psychic self-improvement … learning how to ‘relate,’ overcoming the ‘fear of pleasure,’” says Lasch.
Journalists like Matt Taibbi critically examined Lasch, astutely placing him in an apolitical, anti-opportunistic arena. He is a widely interpretable yet easily accessible writer who called out the new age avoidance of material insecurity – but he’s not the messiah. He’s one voice in a sea of other Marxist, academic jargon-spouters.
Throughout the different stages of life under the pandemic, we’ve seen a plethora of political and social reactions, spanning from claims of election tampering to TikTok cancellations. Sourdough starters, knitting patterns, bullet journals, charcuterie boards and hundreds of other hyped-up concoctions took over mainstream platforms. Everyone needs a coping mechanism to deal with newfound pandemic restrictions, and these trends are miniscule compared to the overwhelming psychological and material costs we’re incurring. However, activities like these are manifestations of larger issues. What do we do with our lives after the return to normal? How do we meaningfully contribute to the betterment of society?
We are replacing substantive activism with online buzzwords and Instagram graphics, plagued by ideology that fetishizes the individual choice over the material impact of politics and social movements. The commodification of identity into capital, is a perfect example of what Lasch describes as the masking of personal gain with social reconciliation.
Talking about ourselves and sharing our experiences is important, but the retreat from collective identity into psychoanalysis isn’t the answer. Technology has given us the ability to constantly communicate with everyone, which can be our savior or our demise. Our alienation is reparable with a collective effort against the old-age, restrictive mindset placed before us. We can use the internet to create marvelous things and execute long overdue social justice, but we cannot fit everything into narratives and one-step solutions.
What young people should take away from self-centered thinking is new forms of self-expression. We have an ability to use our unique perspectives to create equally unique art. To use an awful phrase, we have democratized the medium, which is diluting the artistic field with bad artists and ctritics, but it is also fueling new potential. Real creative endeavors and actual social change – not just the performance of it – is what is needed. We can reach into the bloody past and find a new future if we stop perpetuating lackluster self-obsessions and media-powered narcissism.
