THE CHARACTER OF EVERYDAY LIFE

Thus far, in considering the influence of the science and technology on modern society, we have
explored phenomena that fall within the ideational and societal realms of the cultural system. We turn
now to the personality and behavior sector of that system. Everyday life in contemporary Western
industrial society has a distinctive character or fabric that differentiates it from the pre-industrial or even
early twentieth century industrial society In the West.
THERE ARE THE 8 DISTINCTIVE CHARACTERISTICS

 Multiplicity
 Material Abundance
 Flow
 Pace
 Transience
 Scale
 Mobility
 Technicity

MULTIPLICITY
The fabric of everyday life in contemporary society is characterized by extraordinary multiplicity.
The number and variety of institutions, organizations, and kinds of material product (including food) and
services, the number of options within many kinds of product, services, and institutional sectors (e.g.,
leisure) and the number and diversity of ideas.

MATERIAL ABUNDANCE
Closely related to the great multiplicity characteristics of everyday life in contemporary
industrial societies is another of its distinguishing features. Material abundance, while this feature of
contemporary western societies is largely taken for granted, it should not be.

FLOW
An important feature of everyday life in contemporary industrial societies, and one that partly
defines their distinctive character and feel, is the phenomenon of enormous flow. Put differently, we may
say that the contemporary industrial social system have extraordinarily high levels of “throughput” once
obtained and processed, energy, material, food, and informational resources flow into, through and out of
such systems in enormous, historically unprecedented amounts per unit of time.
PACE
Although one does not logically imply the other, it would be surprising if, in light of the
increasingly rapid energy, material, and informational flows through contemporary social systems, the
pace of contemporary life had not increased markedly in many areas.
TRANSIENCE
Another flow related features of the fabric of everyday life in contemporary western industrial
societies is transience. Evidently, a flow, wither rapid or slow, can be of either constant or changing
composition.

MOBLITY
Another distinctive technology-related feature of everyday life in the contemporary west one that,
while important in its own right, also fosters transience is mobility. In the century industrialized societies
have developed remarkable abilities to move people, information, and materials in great numbers and
amounts over great distances relatively quickly and easily.

SCALE
The scale of modern and contemporary life is a particularly distinctive aspect of its character. The
scale on which modern western industrial life is live, whether in terms of the sizes of populations, human
settlements, human gatherings, organization, or technics.

TECHNICITY
A facet of the character of everyday life in contemporary western societies that is as important as
it is easy to overlook is its unprecedented “technicity” that is the extent to which technics pervade
everyday life.

Reporters:

JOHARY S. ALIPONTO

MOHAMMAD KHALID M. HADJI AMER