What defines a community? Is it friendship, proximity, responsibility, or something else? In this period of rapid technological advancement, people are arguably more connected than ever before. Yet, many feel unsupported in the spaces that they inhabit daily. Neighbours remain strangers, help is outsourced, groceries arrive at the click of a button. This evolving pattern raises a question: If technology is reducing dependency, is it also reducing belonging? Dr BK Swain, former Head, Department of Sociology, Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University, agrees. “Collectivist societies have not existed for several years due to industrialisation, capitalism, migration, and other phenomenon, but society at large has become quite self-centered.

 

People think of individual benefits, and are hence more lonely and detached from their lives as a part of society,” he says, adding that e-commerce stores and other such facilities are reducing inter-dependence within a society, which is causing a phenomenon called anomie, meaning a state of normlessness characterised by breakdown of social bonds, family systems, and moral standards within society. Inter-dependent relationships meant stability, and stability led to social order. This created a sense of security, belonging, and togetherness among individuals, which is important for societal existence. Dr Swain also mentions another phenomenon given by German sociologist Ferdinand Tönnies -- Gemeinschaft, meaning close knit and personal ties, and Gesellschaft, meaning impersonal or contractual relations that are driven by efficiency. “Society is slowly transitioning from the former to the latter.

 

We are thinking more of individual progress than that of society, and this is causing isolation and loneliness in people. Dr Shishir Palsapure, a psychologist, adds, “During festive periods, families used to come together, make sweets and snacks, buy new clothes, make garlands. These were simple rituals, but they made families work and spend time together. Now, however, everything is available in stores, so families don’t get to bond organically.” In reference to the concepts of Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft, Dr Palsapure states, “At some level, all relationships are transactional. Wherever the ease of exiting or getting into a relationship is more, our tolerence towards frustration decreases. People don’t want to put efforts into relationships, whatever their nature might be.” Nalini Chanchani, a resident of Nagpur, reflects on this issue with concern,

 

“Earlier, there was a sense of oneness among societies. If our parents were not home, they would leave us with our neighbours without any hesitation, because they trusted each other. Our neighbours used to treat us like family. That trust and togetherness has declined over the years. Now, there are times when neighbours don’t even know each other’s names. That is very concerning, especially for younger generations, because if we continue at this pace, then they will have no one to fall back on in times of need.” The shift is subtle. Fewer shared errands, fewer open doors, fewer unplanned conversations. Yet these small withdrawals accumulate. A society does not lose its sense of community immediately, but in everyday absences. When responsibility no longer extends beyond self, the space between neighbours widens, and with it, the culture of human connect takes a distressing turn.