Declining Sociality in

Contemporary Times
R Kumaran
Learner and Learners Assistant

 Dr Geetha
Dr Rajagopal
Dr. SriDevi
Dr Balakrishann Vergal
Dr Meena

What it means to be Social?

We often say man is a social animal

What is social here?
Orientation to others moral, political and cultural
connectedness

Moral

Taking moral responsibility for our actions and others welfare

My welfare is the function of others welfare which I have to

actively seek.
Assuring one another that we all live in secure moral universe
that I actively create as you do

Political

That my actions can positively or negatively influence the

power that flows in interpersonal relationship and in the wider

society. It can make someone powerful or powerless and can
increase or decrease freedoms of myself and others

Cultural

We all occupy same symbolic and semantic environment in

which my actions can contribute to shared meaning, so that

we can conduct our social transactions securely and
reflexively.

FACE-TO-FACE CONNECTED

Having social consciousness, being

socially responsible means BEING

ACTIVELY connected and related with
others, NOT JUST MENTALLY BUT FACE
TO FACE

THERE ARE 3 CHOICES FOR LIVING

SOCIAL
Outer(-to-Inner) directed life/relationship Consumerism,

Corruption, Developmentalism
Inward-Directed life/Relationship Fundamentalism/Casteism,
Clictivsm, Delusionalism
Inner(-to- Outer) Directed life/Relationship - Activism/ service
to others

Outer (Or Other)-directed

Outer(-to-Inner) directed life/relationship
Consumerism,
Corruption,

Developmentalism

Inward-Directed
Inward-Directed life/Relationship
Fundamentalism/Casteism,
Clictivsm,
Delusionalism

Inner-Directed
Inner(-to- Outer) Directed life/Relationship
Activism
Inclusivism
Environmentalism

Outer-Directed: Consumerism
I CONSUME THEREFORE I AM
My wants and Desires are more important than others needs
I am empty and sick inside me, only things I buy can fill me give me

completeness
Aloneness (I should have that which no one lese has) is more beautiful
than togetherness (being one with others)
Aggressive Individualism: Dont feel connected. Community Life is BAD
Having More in more important than being more

Outer-Directed: Developmentalism

MATERIALISM AS DEVELOPMENT
Development means having more (not being more), India, and me have
to have more More money, more houses, gadgets, and cars, things and
property
Have more at the cost of peace, respect, security, freedom, honesty,
self-respect
We want India to be at least Singapore, China or at best USA Living
under surveillance, no privacy etc.
END (Having More) IS MORE IMPORTANT MEANS (BEING RIGHT)

Outer-Directed: Corruption
Immoral or Practical?
Smart?
Go with the crowd? Other-Directedness
Way of Life
High-Value but Low-Risk

Outer-Directed: Corruption . Contd.

Make it a high risk activity.
Unfortunately Inter-caste marriage, Rationalism, Social

activism are high-risk activity,

But being corrupt is not only low-risk BUT HIGH VALUEADDING, EVEN HEROIC - corrupt father, son-in-law and others
bringing more money are better father and son-in-law.

Inward-Directed:
Fundamentalism/Casteism

Refusing to learn from others, not willing to share space with others,
I love myself (Narcissism) so much that anything and anyone that

does not look like me I hate them

Creating sameness and feeling threatened and insecure with
difference/other.
Measuring everything in term of my moral/religious/caste
frameworks.
IT MEANS MORE TIME SPENT IT ELIMINATING OTHER: PRAYER IS
REPLACED BY OUT-SHOUTING, (Example Vante Mataram)
TALLNESS COMES OUT OF CUTTING OTHERS SHORT OR OUTRIGHT
ELIMINATION. Intolerance takes the place of inner dialogue.

Inward-Directed: CLICTIVSM AND

SELFIESM- ASOCIAL MEDIA
More time is spent with celebrating self-centredness Sefie
Reporting self Facebook and WhatsApp
Selective presentation of self.
Virtual, in place of face-to-face to relationship I shop, bank,
work, study and visit places online.

Inward-Directed: CLICTIVSM AND

SELFIESM
Today, thanks to internet, it is possible to spend weeks

without having to meet anyone face to face.

Moral and Political accountability for others and their welfare
is thrown to winds.
We express our anger, sadness and protest virtually.
Political commitment is all about Clicking, forwarding and
sharing messages

Inward-Directed: Clictivism

Tourist Mentality
Pilgrims to Tourists

Inner-Directed:
Activism/Inclusivism/Environmentalis
m/
Taking responsibility for others happiness, welfare and need

fulfilment
Not just humanism, but Inclusivism Choosing to only those
actions that seek welfare of others humans, flora and fauna
first. (Environmentalism)

Sociological Imagination

Historical and Biological Inter-Connectedness

Seeing Personal Troubles as Social Problems

All of us can have sociological

imagination

Thank You