Question:
• How does ‘mobility’ affect contemporary life?
• What is ‘reflexivity’ and how does it become important for contemporary identity?
• Can you think of cultural examples (from film, television, literature etc) of trying to determine ‘who we are’? Discuss the significance of such cultural products.
Mobility and social integration is an indispensable aspect of the contemporary lifestyle. Globalization and advancement of the information and communication technology has facilitated the mobility of the human life. Travelling due to various reasons and connecting to other places has been considered to be a part of living. Increasing mobility and fast paced life of human being has significant impact on the society as well as individual lifestyle. The increasing mobility indicates that in recent times, the need for fast modes of movement has been recognized as well as fast mode of movements have been developed. The growth and popularity of the auto mobility across the world has encouraged several low budget business models for travelling. Presently, it has become almost impractical to carry out the regular professional as well as personal activities without travelling. It has transformed the human lifestyle and social practices (Clarke, 2003).
First of all, it has been identified that the mobile society is reshaping the self through the regular activities, connectivity with the larger world and the interpersonal associations. Presently, portable personhood is observed by the society. Identity is not only bent to the modes of transport but also basically recasting itself in terms of potential of mobility. Thus, the globalization of mobility has been embedded into the core of self. Secondly, the mobility has been transmitted into the personal life in the complicated economic, cultural and social network. It has been identified that the degree of separation is lower in case of the people who has a strong network. Third, it has been observed that the society owes to the large scale mobility systems. In this context, the individuals are focusing on defining characteristics off their self identity along with the schedule of self-developed strategies by drawing reference from the post-traditional and desynchronized social settings. Now the capability of being at different place is the major aim. The communication modes such as SMS, e-mail, internet has enabled people to break out the major constraints which existed in the traditional form of the social settings. Mobility in life requires extensive flexibility, reflexivity as well as adaptability in order to get prepared for the unpredicted. Additionally, it is evident that the experience of human beings is de-synchronized due to mobility and hence, people as well as the systems need to be accessible “Just-in-time” (Elliott and Urry, 2010). Fourth important point is that mobility has been offering ample opportunities to the individuals as they get a chance to explore different possibilities. However, it must be considered that mobility also facilities the emergence of new threats. Mobility is associated with delay in journey, separation from personal associates and high level of uncertainty. Though different virtual mobility helps in getting in touch and help in altering journeys, sometimes these systems may fail to work effectively. Fifth aspect is the immobility of others with respect to the mobility of a particular person. There are certain factors which remain immobile in order to ensure the feasibility of the “Just-in-time” lifestyle. The sixth point would consider the reshaping of self through involvement in mobility. It has been observed that the engagement with the highly complicated and computerized systems assists in turning life towards the short term and fragments of sociality with bit of the unstructured set of information. People are becoming extensively dependent on the digitalized computer systems and consequently the pace of unfolding life is increasing at a rapid rate. People are able to follow the kinks of social life which is either inherited or co-created with others with the aid of laptop, cell phone, I-pod and other digitalized gadgets. Presently the scheduling as well as rescheduling techniques has been forcing people to copy the plan of activities which is consisted of complicated interplay of the connection and disconnection. The rapid digitalization of mobility has exposed the self to a new form of self disclosure and openness. It has significantly reconstituted the being as opined bbyy Heidegger. The conception of self is changing as the rapid pace of mobility has made being significantly dependent on the social things. Additionally, it can be found that the emergence of the complicated mobility around the world leads to development of new forms for interacting within the society. The life has become reliant on the self-made routine and engaged in the radical experiments with the mobility systems. It has been identified that in the mobile world, people ate focusing on the term ‘instant’ and privatized and individualized collecting of encounters and information. It has been argued that the effect of disorganized capitalism in outsourcing, finance and JIT deliveries have similar outcome for the social and personal lives. In early 21st century the number of asylum seekers, refugees and slaves hit the record. It is evident that these migrants will encounter various short term employment, relationship as well as risk due to mobility (Elliott and Urry, 2010).
Another important aspect is the increasing dependence on the mobility system helps in facilitating the development of the things which potentially affect the retrieval and storage. For example, an individual can take help of music for evoking personal memories in a distinct social setting. Emergence of the miniaturized mobility significantly contributes in altering the social context through accessing photos, music, videos etc. It has been strongly argued that the social impact of mobility can be grasped if people distribute the received wisdom and use IT models for transmitting information. Thus stylization of different miniaturized mobility system contributes in transforming the self experience with the aid of storage as well as retrieval of those. Moreover, the life of individuals is redesigned as he deposits thee bits of the unstructured information as their traces across different systems of mobility. If the social outcome of mobility is scrutinized it will be found that it helps in hooking up of different databases.
The major idea of reflexivity rotates around the statement that reflexivity progressively comprises self identity in the contemporary or the late modern society. Anthony Giddens and Ulrich Beck are the major contributors of the theoretical frameworks in the reflexivity and self-identity. According to Adams (2003), later various sociological theories has been developed which majorly focuses on the extended reflexivity thesis.
Expanded reflexivity originates from the dynamic interplay of various social changes which are progressively features of the later modernity. In information and communication technology significant changes are taking place and it is assisting in enhancing the exposure of an individual. Additionally, it has been contributing in relating the ongoing cultural as well as individual practices to the level where nothing can be underestimated as just as the way things are carried out. Expanding worldwide streams of thoughts, finance, employment and imagery and the mass practice of utilization that go hand in hand with changes in correspondence just intensify the circumstances. The coupling force of convention and the social structure has receded away. According to Beck and Beck-Gernsheim (2002, p. 51) it is fairly an absence of social structures which makes itself as the fundamental characteristic of the social structure and ultimately focuses on bringing about a post-conventional and individualizing society (Adams, 2006).
In the midst of the rubble of dynamic, fast-paced and unstable social changes people do not find post-modern disintegration, notwithstanding a few shared traits with the origination of selfhood found in different structures of that development. However, it is an adaptable, composed self, more open, straightforward as well as reflexive. According to Giddens (1991, p. 14), every individual just do not ‘has’, but everybody lives a biography which is organized reflexively in terms of the social as well as psychological information which is associated with the probable ways of life. Modernity is considered as the post-conventional era in which the individual needs to ask as well as response to the question “How shall I live” in order to make the everyday decisions (Adams, 2003).
Social scholars who have demonstrated significant difference from the others work in numerous points of view but found to be convergent in case of the focus on the extended reflexivity. According to these social theorists, identity is in the procedure of being re-described as the complete reflective potential (Mellucci, 1996, p. 36). According to Lash and Urry (1994, p.3) the significance of reflexive subjectivity has been increasing and individual require to turn to their particular own assets and resources for deciding what is valued by them and it is necessary for organizing the priorities of the individuals. Additionally, it will help in making sense of the lives of the individuals (Heelas, 1996, p.30). According to Giddens (1992, p.30), in the later part of the modernity self is a reflexive project for everybody.
The important investigate for the purpose of individuals blames the theory of extended reflexivity of utilizing an extensively frail idea of social structure. It has been argued that the concept failed to account for the limitations on organization which either persevere in contemporary social orders.
According to Giddens, new levels of connectivity imply that the individuals in the modern age have an opportunity to influence the more extensive social framework. Hence, it can be inferred that the daily activities of individual in the modern era are comprehensively consequential for the entire globe (Adams, 2006). The personal decision of an individual to buy a specific thing of garments, for instance, or a particular kind of foodstuff, has complex ramifications. In order to be specific, it can be stated that an unprecedented, and as well as quickening, connectedness exists between ordinary choices and worldwide conclusions (Giddens, 1994, p.57 – 58). When the social bonds achieve new levels of correspondence, the individual is embroiled in a fundamentally reflexive association with social structure. Then again, some social scientists have contended that little endeavor is made to separate between encounters of individuals in differing, structurally situated settings (Hay et al., 1996, O’brien, 1999). It is asserted to be an exorbitantly uniform examination, which demonstrated that short shrift to the structural as well as social components is still at work in designing the self (Tucker, 1998 p.208). With regards to Giddens, his prior work offered an exhaustive record of the ‘unacknowledged conditions and unintended outcomes of organization. It has been observed that additional emphasize has been given upon the reflexive projection of one self. According to HAMETNER and JOERCHEL (2009), identity is not something which a person has since his birth. It must be constructed in regular activities and hence, identity is not secure. Additionally, it was described that identity wok is a procedure of connectivity and a self reflective act in which an individual focuses on formulation of what he wants to be. It has been found that reflective composition of narrative plays a significant role in this procedure (HAMETNER and JOERCHEL, 2009).
Cultural examples can be cited in this section which focuses on addressing the question of self-identity. Various films, music, television shows and literary works have found to be appropriate for determining “who we are?”. The movie, “The Cider House Rule” can be discussed here as it is associated with the concept of self identity. In the movie the central character, Homer Wells is an orphan who was brought up in an orphanage. He stayed twice with the foster parents. In the first case, the foster parents think that Homer was very quiet and the second foster parents beat him. Homer was taught obstetrics as well as abortions. Homer did not support abortions and refused to do it. As he wanted to see the world, he left the orphanage. Later Homer found that Larch had falsified the medical record of Homer for protecting him (HOLDEN, 1999). Additionally, his credentials were faked in order to convince the board for appointing him as the director of orphanage. This film is all about searching identity of Homer and balancing with his set of values.
References
Adams, M. (2003). The reflexive self and culture: a critique. British Journal of Sociology, 54(2), pp.221-238.
Adams, M. (2006). Hybridizing Habitus and Reflexivity:: Towards an Understanding of Contemporary Identity?. Sociology, 40(3), pp.511-528.
Beck, U. and E. Beck-Gernsheim (2002) Individualization: Institutionalized Individualism and its Social and Political Consequences. London: Sage.
Clarke, D. B. (2003) ‘The meaning of lifestyle’, in The consumer society and the postmodern city. London: Routledge, pp. 129-166.
Elliott, A. and Urry, J. (2010). Mobile lives. New York, NY: Routledge.
Giddens, A. (1991) Modernity and Self-identity: Self and Society in the Late Modern Age. Cambridge: Polity.
Giddens, A. (1992) The Transformation of Intimacy. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Giddens, A. (1994) ‘Living in a Post-traditional Society’, in U. Beck, A. Giddens and S. Lash Reflexive Modernization, pp. 56–109. Cambridge: Polity Press.
HAMETNER, K. and JOERCHEL, A. (2009). Reflexive 
and Non reflexive Identity
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Balance. Psychology
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Society, 2(1), pp.22-28.
Hay, C., M. O’Brien and S. Penna (1996[1994]) ‘Modernity and Self Identity: the “Hollowing out” of Social Theory’, Arena Journal series 2: 45–76, reprinted in C. Bryant and D. Jary (eds) Anthony Giddens: A Critical Assessment, London: Routledge.
Heelas, P. (1996) ‘Detraditionalization and its Rivals’, in P. Heelas, S. Lash and P. Morris Detraditionalization, pp. 1–20. Oxford: Blackwell.
HOLDEN, S. (1999). Movie Review – The Cider House Rules – FILM REVIEW; A Rite of Passage, With Dickensian Sympathies – NYTimes.com. [online] Nytimes.com.
Lash, S. and J. Urry (1994) Economies of Signs and Space. London: Sage.
Melucci, A. (1996) The Playing Self: Person and Meaning in the Planetary Society. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
O’Brien, M. (1999) ‘Theorising Modernity: Reflexivity, identity and Environment in Giddens’ Social Theory’, in M. O’Brien, S. Penna and C. Hay (eds) Theorising Modernity, pp. 17–38. London: Longman
Tucker, K.H. (1998) Anthony Giddens and Modern Social Theory. London: Sage.
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