While we talk about the wars in Ukraine and in the Middle East (and we do not talk about the forgotten ones in Somalia, Syria, Burma), while we talk about the role of the EU, about the advent of AI and other technical and biomedical advances, about the problems of local politics... while we talk about all this, imperceptibly, progressively but without pause, profound changes are taking place in the shared social convictions, in the basic values and attitudes of our society. It is an extraordinary cultural transformation.
Today we want to draw attention, due to the enormous transformative power of society and our daily lives, to a change that seems insignificant, but has enormous consequences. We are referring to the rise of the value of the immediate, of immediatism. We could define it as valuing disproportionately (even obsessively) what is going to happen immediately with disregard for the consequences or impacts in a longer term. An orientation to what is closest in time and space that feeds back to a pressing need for things to happen immediately.
This basic attitude is closely related to impatience and the search for instant gratification and manifests itself in various aspects of life, from the inability to wait for an answer on the phone or at the computer or in a line at the health center, to the need of immediate responses in interpersonal communications or impulsive decision making. It seems not very relevant, but when this behavior is so widespread it has no minor social repercussions, as we will see.
It is common for experts who have dealt with this topic to see the origin of this growing appreciation of the immediate in the use of digital technology and in the habits that technology companies want to encourage (attention economy). Immediatism is amplified by digital platforms that offer instant gratification: social networks, mobile applications and other media provide immediate feedback and rewards.
Many academics have drawn attention to the relevance of this phenomenon: great references in psychology who have highlighted the strong incentives that favor this type of behavior and its individual consequences (dependencies, addiction...). There are also references in sociology and philosophy that have highlighted the social and political effects. It is widely shared that the impact on both individual and social transformation (of all societies) is and will be very profound. The impacts on health have also been studied. Immediacy involves a constant state of alert and demand that can lead, in turn, to a feeling of tiredness and “light dissatisfaction.” Sometimes there are psychological pathologies that are currently increasing among youth, but that also affect adults. Let us not forget that Spain and Portugal led the world consumption of anxiolytic, antidepressant and sedative medications.
Less studied is its impact on the world of work, although some studies associate it with an increase in workplace accidents, accidents in itinere due to the “need” to answer the cell phone... Some authors associate it with the loss of quality in services that require an interpersonal relationship. This area deserves more research: many human activities based on interpersonal relationships can be affected by an overvaluation of the immediate by discouraging reflection and commitment to time and long-term work and planning.
It also affects sociability and leisure by reducing human relationship activities that require more time, more listening, more attention..., which perhaps explains the trend towards more individual and isolated leisure. This undermines the ability to develop deep connections with others and undermines traditional values related to patience, the human quality of relationships and reflection.
The effects on politics are important. Immediatism favors citizens' preference for speeches with simple and quick promises, typical of populism, whether from the right or the left; underestimates the harmful effects of today's decisions on the future (which is a great incentive for public debt); It accentuates selfishness and individualism to the detriment of solidarity and the value of the common, making the solution to collective problems more difficult. And we all know that important social problems (migration, inequality, economic progress...) require a lot of time. It is possible that it is also associated with a higher level of aggressiveness that is observed today in citizen life (small conflicts between drivers; minor brawls between groups of young people; attacks on health personnel and teachers in educational centers...).
This emerging social attitude must be worked on individually (by each of us) and socially: in families, among groups of friends, in education... and also in social networks. Re-evaluating interpersonal relationships, prolonged reading, inner life (spiritual and/or religious), art, slowly tasting nature... are good starts if they become habits. There is so much at stake that it is important to maintain in our social debate the consequences of immediatism and how to manage it.
TREVA I PAU, formed by Jordi Alberich, Eugeni Bregolat, Eugeni Gay, Jaume Lanaspa, Juan-José López Burniol, Carles Losada, Josep Lluís Oller, Alfredo Pastor, Xavier Pomés and Víctor Pou
