Searching for Perfection Pim Noomen
Searching for Perfection
A globalizing world in which the individual is designed by the
online world
Pim Noomen
4656520
Cultural Anthropology 4: globalization and sociocultural complexity (201100013)
16 Jun. 2023
Hannah Koster
Wordcount (not included this preamble, nor references, nor bibliography): 1489
Introduction
In this essay the focus will be on the influence of social and mass media in relation to the
contemporary individual who strives for perfection in life. In this statement, the word
perfection does not relate specifically to the external perfection of someone’s body but rather
focuses on every aspect of an individual's life, related to online media. Perfection of
appearance is one part of this, but in addition I will address other topics related to the
perfection of one’s contemporary life such as: consumerism, travel and trends. With the birth
of the Internet in 19821, a new era for humanity had begun. By now, the Internet and online
media play a fundamental role on the world stage and it almost looks like we can’t live
without it. In this essay, I state that social and mass media fuel feelings of uncertainty because
of the fact that it contributes to a more interconnected and mobile world in which people can
and do compare their lives with the rest of the world in every aspect and at any time. In this
essay I will firstly discuss the statement I am raising in relation to the perspectives of both
Eriksen (2014 & 2016) and Holmes (2013). Secondly I will discuss how the feeling of
uncertainty translates into sociocultural and political practices at different scale levels.
Thirdly I will give two arguments, related to the topics: consumerism and trends, that backup
my statement. Lastly, I will end with a conclusion.
Both authors Eriksen (2014 & 2016) and Holmes (2013) focus on different aspects of
human experiences and society. They do share a similar theme in their books, namely the
1
Wikipedia-bijdragers. (2023). Geschiedenis van het internet. Wikipedia.
https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geschiedenis_van_het_internet
1
, Searching for Perfection Pim Noomen
impact of global processes on individuals and communities. Both of the authors focus on a
more interconnected and mobile world and cover certain important universal changes that
have taken place in recent decades. Think of the emergence of neoliberalism (Eriksen 2016),
the globalizing world (Eriksen 2014) and migration (Holmes 2013). All these different
aspects of the contemporary world, in relation to the rise of the Internet and online media,
have made life one big bubble in which you seek for perfection of life because they, the
world-leading systems, force you to do so. This form of life in which the media is constantly
making sure that you are aware of everything that is happening around you is accompanied
by the feeling of uncertainty. Comparing means caring about something and thus will lead to
a search for improvement of life and thereby to a search for the perfection of it.
Different searches for perfection
In this case study, I distinguished between two main groups of scales, namely the prosperity
scale and the development scale. Within the search for improvement in life both scales are
looking for a slightly different form of perfection and have different views on life in general.
Within the prosperity scale, I refer to the Western individuals who possess a lot of capital and
money and are fueled by the neoliberal way of thinking and acting (Eriksen 2016). Within the
neoliberal world they are living in, these individuals are guided by the idea that they need a
perfect job that earns more money than just to make a living, own a house that is bigger and
better than is actually needed and spend the holidays on the most overwhelming locations to
make pictures and impress others but more importantly, themselves (Jackson 2019). This
view is fueled and strengthened by the online medium where people daily show and compare
their possessions and experiences with others and can claim that what they have, still isn’t
enough. Their search for a perfect life will go on endlessly.
For the development scale, I take as an example the migration of Mexicans to the
United States. This problem of Mexicans, primarily the Triqui/Oaxaca people, applying for
certain jobs as farm workers is due to the fact that they are trying to find a better life
elsewhere in the world because they can no longer make ends meet in their hometown. This
process is accompanied by the fact that neoliberalism has taken over the Western
world-system (Holmes 2013). Large multinationals have taken over the global market and
local small-scale entrepreneurs are being led to the abyss, so to speak, by this competition
(Holmes 2013, 25-26). The perception of a perfect life for these people differs in many ways
from the prosperity scale. Their search is mainly about living in a proper house, having
enough money to allow their children to attend school, not suffer from the work they do and
2
Searching for Perfection
A globalizing world in which the individual is designed by the
online world
Pim Noomen
4656520
Cultural Anthropology 4: globalization and sociocultural complexity (201100013)
16 Jun. 2023
Hannah Koster
Wordcount (not included this preamble, nor references, nor bibliography): 1489
Introduction
In this essay the focus will be on the influence of social and mass media in relation to the
contemporary individual who strives for perfection in life. In this statement, the word
perfection does not relate specifically to the external perfection of someone’s body but rather
focuses on every aspect of an individual's life, related to online media. Perfection of
appearance is one part of this, but in addition I will address other topics related to the
perfection of one’s contemporary life such as: consumerism, travel and trends. With the birth
of the Internet in 19821, a new era for humanity had begun. By now, the Internet and online
media play a fundamental role on the world stage and it almost looks like we can’t live
without it. In this essay, I state that social and mass media fuel feelings of uncertainty because
of the fact that it contributes to a more interconnected and mobile world in which people can
and do compare their lives with the rest of the world in every aspect and at any time. In this
essay I will firstly discuss the statement I am raising in relation to the perspectives of both
Eriksen (2014 & 2016) and Holmes (2013). Secondly I will discuss how the feeling of
uncertainty translates into sociocultural and political practices at different scale levels.
Thirdly I will give two arguments, related to the topics: consumerism and trends, that backup
my statement. Lastly, I will end with a conclusion.
Both authors Eriksen (2014 & 2016) and Holmes (2013) focus on different aspects of
human experiences and society. They do share a similar theme in their books, namely the
1
Wikipedia-bijdragers. (2023). Geschiedenis van het internet. Wikipedia.
https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geschiedenis_van_het_internet
1
, Searching for Perfection Pim Noomen
impact of global processes on individuals and communities. Both of the authors focus on a
more interconnected and mobile world and cover certain important universal changes that
have taken place in recent decades. Think of the emergence of neoliberalism (Eriksen 2016),
the globalizing world (Eriksen 2014) and migration (Holmes 2013). All these different
aspects of the contemporary world, in relation to the rise of the Internet and online media,
have made life one big bubble in which you seek for perfection of life because they, the
world-leading systems, force you to do so. This form of life in which the media is constantly
making sure that you are aware of everything that is happening around you is accompanied
by the feeling of uncertainty. Comparing means caring about something and thus will lead to
a search for improvement of life and thereby to a search for the perfection of it.
Different searches for perfection
In this case study, I distinguished between two main groups of scales, namely the prosperity
scale and the development scale. Within the search for improvement in life both scales are
looking for a slightly different form of perfection and have different views on life in general.
Within the prosperity scale, I refer to the Western individuals who possess a lot of capital and
money and are fueled by the neoliberal way of thinking and acting (Eriksen 2016). Within the
neoliberal world they are living in, these individuals are guided by the idea that they need a
perfect job that earns more money than just to make a living, own a house that is bigger and
better than is actually needed and spend the holidays on the most overwhelming locations to
make pictures and impress others but more importantly, themselves (Jackson 2019). This
view is fueled and strengthened by the online medium where people daily show and compare
their possessions and experiences with others and can claim that what they have, still isn’t
enough. Their search for a perfect life will go on endlessly.
For the development scale, I take as an example the migration of Mexicans to the
United States. This problem of Mexicans, primarily the Triqui/Oaxaca people, applying for
certain jobs as farm workers is due to the fact that they are trying to find a better life
elsewhere in the world because they can no longer make ends meet in their hometown. This
process is accompanied by the fact that neoliberalism has taken over the Western
world-system (Holmes 2013). Large multinationals have taken over the global market and
local small-scale entrepreneurs are being led to the abyss, so to speak, by this competition
(Holmes 2013, 25-26). The perception of a perfect life for these people differs in many ways
from the prosperity scale. Their search is mainly about living in a proper house, having
enough money to allow their children to attend school, not suffer from the work they do and
2
