Individualization vs massification: the paradoxes of modern society

The article reviews individualization and massification as contradictory but complementary and interdependent development trends in modern society. Social massification is understood as the transformation of non-mass social phenomena into mass ones against the background of the domination of the consumerist ideology and widespread impact of information technologies. It is emphasized that the unrestrained growth of consumerism and the influence of the mass media lead to standardization and depersonification while creating an illusory sense of individualization of a person. Social individualization is characterized as a result of the impact of objective processes, which has advantages along with disadvantages such as loss of stability and the emergence of new threats to existential security. It is concluded that true individualization implies social heterogeneity and risk management, and its formation is associated with the development of criticality and reflexivity.