Belonging is a foundational element of our lives. Psychologist Kelly-Ann Allen defines belonging as "a subjective feeling that one is an integral part of their surrounding systems, including family, friends, school, work environments, communities, cultural groups, and physical places" (Allen et al. 88). Nicola Bacon, Founding Director of Social Life, explains that belonging is dynamic, "changing over time and impacted by our complex and intersectional life experiences" (Bacon 34). Our personal competencies, opportunities, motivations, perceptions, and the complex interplay between social and environmental contexts converge to produce our trait-like sense of belonging (Allen et al. 90). At home and abroad, I have discovered belonging to be a foundational part of being human, universal yet shaped by culture.

How have the algorithms of an attention-based economy altered our sense of belonging? For such exhaustive interconnectedness, what has been disconnected? Boundaries between work and leisure, family, and friends no longer exist. Our lives on and offline have become intertwined, making it difficult to discern what is authentic, what should or should not require our attention or concern, which social and parasocial interactions matter most, and how we seek to influence and be influenced.

In a study of Chinese secondary school students, Sun Wenkai found that interpersonal alienation and learning burnout were strongly connected to social media usage (Wenkai et al. 197). Students who felt alienated were more dependent on social media, slept less, and performed more poorly in school than those with an interpersonal support system. Wenkai suggests that fulfilling the need to belong via social media exceeds the desire for self-improvement. However, the attention-driven algorithms of social apps encourage dependency by failing to provide the fundamental nourishment users desire.

Challenges to belonging extend beyond online culture. Neoliberalism has shaped our sense of disconnection through public policy. Harvard philosopher and economist Michael Sandel argues that market practices have transformed our civic practices. "Markets are not mere mechanisms. They embody certain norms. They presuppose—and promote—certain ways of valuing the goods being exchanged" (Sandel 128). This cultural discourse stresses self-reliance while signaling that we should place our identity within social and economic forces. Notably, self-commodification asks individuals to view relationships regarding their transactional potential while gauging personal accomplishment upon market success (Khamis et al. 201). These aspects of neoliberal policy and internet culture incentivize an identity centered around materialism and personal accomplishment while exploiting Western ideals of rugged individualism to promote market competition. Nevertheless, with an increasingly tightening market and privatization of public services, many struggle to attain personal security under such conditions. Bacon explains: "When we feel that change is not working in our best interests, that it is restricting, rather than increasing, our options, then our sense of belonging in the future is threatened" (Bacon 32).

The good news is that we are built to belong. George M. Slavich's social safety theory explains that the human brain and immune system have evolved to seek safety through the company of others. "What matters most is a stable sense of social inclusion, belonging, and connection to others who are friendly, emotionally supportive, and dependable...there is a large literature showing that this tendency to connect confers substantial benefits for human health and behavior" (Slavich 276). According to human biology, belonging is as acutely connected to survival as any external threat.

Let us leverage individualism's fundamental strength and shift from a culture focused on personal and economic achievement to one centered on an appreciation for diversity. Pursuing collective individualism, in which personal differences are considered collective strengths, can provide a path toward reclaiming our well-being and belonging.

Works cited:

Allen, Kelly-Ann, et al. "Belonging: A Review of Conceptual Issues, an Integrative Framework, and Directions for Future Research." Australian Journal of Psychology, vol. 73, no. 1, 2021, pp. 87–102, https://doi.org/10.1080/00049530.2021.1883409.

Bacon, Nicola. "BELONGING: What Does It Take to Transform a Neighbourhood into a Community?" RSA Journal, vol. 169, no. 1(5592), 2023, pp. 32–35.

Khamis, Susie, et al. "Self-Branding, 'micro-Celebrity' and the Rise of Social Media Influencers." Celebrity Studies, vol. 8, no. 2, 2017, pp. 191–208, https://doi.org/10.1080/19392397.2016.1218292.

Sandel, Michael J. "Market Reasoning as Moral Reasoning: Why Economists Should Re-Engage with Political Philosophy." The Journal of Economic Perspectives, vol. 27, no. 4, 2013, pp. 121–40, https://doi.org/10.1257/jep.27.4.121.

Slavich, George M. "Social Safety Theory: A Biologically Based Evolutionary Perspective on Life Stress, Health, and Behavior." Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, vol. 16, no. 1, 2020, pp. 265–95, https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-032816-045159.

Wenkai, Sun, et al. "The Role of Interpersonal Alienation in the Relationship between Social Media Addiction and Learning Burnout among Chinese Secondary School Students." Children's Health Care, vol. 52, no. 2, 2023, pp. 196–219, https://doi.org/10.1080/02739615.2022.2068552.

Pictured above
Walker, Coire: Photograph of Self in front of the Berlin Wall. 13 Aug. 2022. Author's personal collection.