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North American culture is individualistic in theory, not in practice. Coming from a very collectivistic culture, I can tell you people care way less about numbe
by johncena33 5y ago
North American culture is individualistic in theory, not in practice. Coming from a very collectivistic culture, I can tell you people care way less about number of followers and number of likes than North American people do. You'd expect in an individualistic culture, people wouldn't be obsessed about curating perfect image in social media or dream about being a social media celebrity. That goes against the very idea of individualism. What's happening here isn't individualism, it's validation seeking. That's why I used the word narcissism. Because narcissism at its core is insecurity and validation seeking.
- danaris 5y agoThe behavior you describe is validation-seeking, but that doesn't show that American culture is not individualistic. The individualism shows up in a myriad of other ways, both cultural and political.
- watwut 5y agoIn collectivist culture, you dont want to stick out. You are encouraged to be like others, the nail that sticks out gets hammered" kind of thing . Having many followers is sticking out and is being different. Individualism does not mean lack of wish to compete, win or succeed. And American culture specifically, is really big on competition of any kind.