America is Atomizing

Supported by Ideas America Is Atomizing A nation of us versus them and them and them. It’s an article of faith that America is polarized. Its people are bifurcated and bunkered, engaged in a never-ending Spy vs. Spy with each camp finding it nearly impossible to relate to the other side of the divide. That certainly describes our ruptured two-party political system: The very concept of a United States, it seems, is now misleading. But what if that idea doesn’t quite sum it up? Some social scientists and cultural observers are increasingly considering a more extreme concept: atomization, or the scattering of people — not into two opposing factions but into countless smaller tribes. Like groups of atoms, those subsets can form — and dissolve — at quicksilver pace, leaving people in ever-tinier bubbles, devoid of connection with one another and the larger social fabric. Even subgroups have subgroups, dividing amoeba-like into combative factions, creating a nation of us vs. them and them and them. It’s a phenomenon pulling at almost every aspect of society. A report in June by Pew Research Center of more than 10,000 Americans found that the two-party system has basically split into nine groups, ranging from the “unconventional right” to the “left-out left” to the “tuned-out middle.” Each embodies “a complex mix of values and beliefs” that belie — and bedevil — traditional Democratic and Republican alignments. At the same time, an atomized society provides community inside subcultures. Popular influencers, some with audiences far greater than those of traditional media outlets, have given voice to previously fringe interests, creating camaraderie for anyone who thought they were the only cat-loving gun owner. The palindrome enthusiast. A “hot” girl with I.B.S. A knitting Swiftie. The constituencies start to sound like Mad Libs. Even the use of “atomization” as a word has surged recently, with writers adopting it to explain things like the success of Mormon-mom influencers (capitalizing on the loneliness of motherhood, according to New York magazine) and the decrease in wine sales (“people across the rich world increasingly live, and eat, alone,” the Economist said). Related Content Advertisement