Existential characteristics of extremeness in modern society

The paper reveals the existential aspects of various manifestations of extremeness in the modern society, which can be marked as a risk, information or consumer society. Extremeness is understood as a borderline situation characterized by the most extreme values. As extremeness becomes a widespread phenomenon in modern society, it begins to affect significantly both all areas of public life and the life of a person. The research describes two basic existential facets of extremeness: extremeness as a way of being, or a borderline situation indicating the possibility of true existence, and extremeness as the human social activity, which is typical for the unstable society. The paper substantiates the thesis that in both cases extremeness is characterized by the existential construction-or-destruction opposition. It can not only pose a threat but also stimulate the emergence of the new behavioral forms to compensate for the lack of existing social configurations.