Late Modernity
Late modernity is in its most basic sense an explanation of contemporary society. The shift into late modernity is said to have begun in the 1960s when many of today’s major economies undertook cultural and economic changes (Ferrell, Hayward, & Young, 2008, p. 42). These changes led to a globalization of both culture and economies (Ferrell, Hayward, & Young, 2008, p. 56). In this new world ontological insecurity is the norm and identities are no longer stable (Ferrell, Hayward, & Young, 2008, pp. 58-59). In this globalized world media has made it easy for governments and corporations to compete for control of meaning, as a result individuals are bombarded with nonstop contradicting messages about what they should be and what they should do (Ferrell, Hayward, & Young, 2008, p. 56). Late modernity has also seen an increase in the disparity between rich and poor which has bred distrust for the lower class (Ferrell, Hayward, & Young, 2008, p. 57). This distrust has made governments and corporations call for more security, creating fear of victimization within affluent classes which in part explains the rise in the popularity of gated communities (Ferrell, Hayward, & Young, 2008, p. 58). The creation of this underclass has been mainly due to the transferring of production to third world countries which means we have lost the careers that were once the primary source of reliable employment (Ferrell, Hayward, & Young, 2008, p. 58) .
In this time individuals crave a solid self-identity and a sense of self-fulfillment that a hyperplural consumer society simply cannot provide (Ferrell, Hayward, & Young, 2008, pp. 58-59) . Hyperpluralism can be understood as the excess of contradicting meanings that cause confusion within an individual (Ferrell, Hayward, & Young, 2008, p. 59) . Individuals struggle to determine what they need to do to develop their identity and as a result they continue to reinvent themselves in order to obtain self-assurance, however it is an elusive proposition do to the constant changing meanings in their life (Ferrell, Hayward, & Young, 2008, p. 59).