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But in liquid modernity selfhood
is not so fixed: it is fragmented,
unstable, often internally
incoherent, and frequently no more
than the sum of consumer choices
out of which it is simultaneously
constituted and represented. In
liquid modernity, the boundary
between the authentic self and the
representation of the self through
consumer choice breaks down:
we are—according to Bauman—
what we buy and no more. Depth
and surface meaning have fused
together, and it is impossible to
separate them out.
Consumption and identity
The central importance of
consumption in the construction
of individual self-identity goes
beyond the acquisition of consumer
goods. Without the unchanging
sources of identity provided by
solid modernity, individuals in
the modern world seek guidance,
stability, and personal direction
from an ever-broadening range of
alternative sources, such as lifestyle
coaches, psychoanalysts, sex
therapists, holistic life-experts,
health gurus, and so on.
Self-identity has become
problematic for the individual
in ways that are historically
unprecedented, and the
consequence is a cycle of endless
self-questioning and introspection
that serves only to confound the
individual even more. Ultimately,
the result is that our experience
of ourselves and everyday life is
increasingly played out against
a backdrop of ongoing anxiety,
restlessness, and unease about
who we are, our place in the world,
and the rapidity of the changes
taking place around us.
Liquid modernity thus
principally refers to a global society
that is plagued by uncertainty
and instability. However, theseZYGMUNT BAUMAN
The self-creation of personal identity
is undertaken through consumption as
traditional sources of identity, such as
employment status and family ties,
have withered under liquid modernity.
destabilizing forces are not evenly
distributed across global society.
Bauman identifies and explains
the importance of the variables
of mobility, time, and space for
understanding why. For Bauman,
the capacity to remain mobile is
an extremely valuable attribute
in liquid modernity, because it
facilitates the successful pursuit
of wealth and personal fulfillment.Tourists and vagabonds
Bauman distinguishes between
the winners and losers in liquid
modernity. The people who benefit
most from the fluidity of liquid
modernity are the socially
privileged individuals who are
able to float freely around the world.
These people, who Bauman refers
to as “tourists,” exist in time rather
than space. By this he means
that through their easy access to
Internet-based technologies and
transnational flights, tourists are
able—virtually and in reality—to
span the entire globe and operate
in locations where the economic
conditions are the most favorable
and standards of living the highest.
By stark contrast, the “vagabonds,”In a liquid modern life,
there are no permanent
bonds, and any that we
take up... must be tied
loosely so that they
can be untied... when
circumstances change.
Zygmunt Bauman