In a dimly lit café in Goa, the hypnotic pulse of Astrix's latest psychedelic trance hit reverberates through the air, every note meticulously sculpted by algorithms designed to capture and command the fleeting attention of millions. Across the table, Disha Ravi, a climate activist from New Delhi, drafts tweets rallying support for a protest against a multinational corporation’s land grab, while Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet Inc., debates the ethics of AI-driven hiring software over his oat milk latte. A few miles away, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, oversees the latest iteration of the Metaverse, a virtual reality space where social connection, commerce, and entertainment collide in an endless loop.
Meanwhile, in Hong Kong, Mixmag Asia, under the editorial leadership of Managing Editor and Writer Amira Waworuntu, is spearheading an innovative approach with a blog section. This new dynamic platform empowers EDM enthusiasts across the continent to share updates about events and artists from their local scenes, cultivating a sense of community while spotlighting Asia's diverse and vibrant electronic music culture. In this whirlwind of rapid transformation, where time is commodified and progress is relentless, the world races ahead, leaving us to reckon with what it means to be human in an age defined by speed, spectacle, and the all-encompassing reach of technology. While the above scenarios are imagined, it is not far from the reality of hypermodernity where disruption and progress collide, creating an inexorable pressure that demands constant adaptation to avoid being consumed by the chaos.
Hypermodernity
Welcome to hypermodernity, an era where speed, spectacle, and relentless innovation reign supreme. If modernity was about building skyscrapers and conquering nature and postmodernity was about deconstructing those ambitions, hypermodernity is the caffeinated offspring that turbocharges our world into a hyper-accelerated, hyper-connected, and hyper-anxious state. It’s not about questioning reality anymore—it’s about how fast we can remake it.
This is a world where every second counts, every click matters, and every byte of data is mined for value. Hypermodernity thrives on momentum and chaos. It doesn’t pause to reflect because reflection is seen as inefficient. It’s an exhilarating yet exhausting way of living, one that weaves together technology, culture, and identity at a breakneck pace.
The Italian journal “B@belonline” recently explored this emerging reality in their latest issue, “Postmoderno o ipermoderno? Naufragi e speranzedopo la modernità” (translation: “Postmodern or Hypermodern? Shipwrecks and Hopes After Modernity”). This collection of essays dissects hypermodernity’s cultural, social, and philosophical dimensions, painting a vivid picture of a world lurching ahead without brakes.
Modernity, Postmodernity, Hypermodernity
To grasp hypermodernity, you have to revisit its predecessors. Modernity, an offspring of the Industrial Revolution, was humanity’s declaration of dominance over nature. It was the age of rationality, science, and progress—a time when innovation meant steam engines, assembly lines, and urban expansion.
Then came postmodernity, modernity’s self-aware, ironic critic. It dismantled the grand narratives of progress, emphasizing fragmentation, subjectivity, and the cultural relativity of truth. Think of it as the moment when humanity started questioning its own hype. Postmodernism wasn’t interested in building skyscrapers—it was more about writing essays critiquing why we even wanted them in the first place.
Hijacking democracy
Hypermodernity doesn’t dwell on critiques. It takes postmodernism’s skepticism, adds modernity’s optimism, and accelerates both to warp speed. It doesn’t just question narratives—it commodifies and reconfigures them into clickable, shareable content. It’s a world where the mantra isn’t “Why are we doing this?” but “Why aren’t we doing this faster?”
Culture on Steroids
In hypermodernity, culture isn’t just a mirror reflecting society; it’s the engine driving it. Streaming platforms use algorithms to predict our viewing habits with unnerving precision, while social media transforms personal expression into monetizable performance. Every tweet, post, and like becomes data to be analyzed, repackaged, and resold.
Take TikTok, for example. It’s not just a platform for short-form video—it’s a cultural petri dish where trends are born, peak, and fade in days. Hypermodernity doesn’t just accelerate culture it devours it, chewing through ideas at a pace that leaves even the creators scrambling to keep up.
But this constant churn comes at a cost. The hyper-saturated media landscape leaves little room for depth. Memes become ideologies, and news cycles last as long as it takes to refresh your feed. The result is a culture that’s more reactive than reflective, more fragmented than cohesive.
The New Rules of Living
Hypermodernity isn’t just reshaping what we consume—it’s redefining how we live. Life today feels like an endless sprint. Work and leisure blur into a single, unrelenting hustle, while the digital and physical worlds merge into an augmented reality where being “offline” is a luxury few can afford.
This lifestyle offers unprecedented freedoms but also unique pressures. Algorithms don’t just predict our preferences; they shape our identities. Every app we download, every ad we click, and every playlist we stream adds another layer to our digital persona—a persona that’s as much a product of machine learning as it is of personal choice.
Meanwhile, traditional sources of stability—family, religion, community—struggle to keep up. Hypermodernity’s relentless individualism offers autonomy but often at the expense of connection. The irony is hard to ignore: in an age where technology promises to bring us closer together, many feel more isolated than ever.
A Philosophical Paradox
Philosophically, hypermodernity is a paradox wrapped in contradictions. It celebrates individuality but enforces conformity through algorithms. It promises progress while fueling precarity. It’s a world where skepticism morphs into cynicism, and truth becomes a casualty of the 24/7 content cycle.
The essays in B@belonline grapple with these tensions. Is hypermodernity a break from postmodernism, or its inevitable evolution? Some see it as postmodernism on steroids—a hyper-accelerated critique of modernity. Others argue that it revives modernist ideals but infuses them with the frenetic energy of technological overdrive.
These questions aren’t just academic, they have real-world implications. In a hypermodern society, the pace of change often outstrips our ability to adapt, leading to a sense of disorientation that philosopher Paul Virilio called “dromological stress.” We’re constantly moving forward, but to where and at what cost?
The Collateral Damage
For all its innovation, hypermodernity leaves a trail of wreckage in its wake. The environmental toll is staggering as ecosystems buckle under the weight of hyper-consumption. Mental health crises are on the rise, exacerbated by the pressures of hyper-connectivity and the relentless pursuit of perfection. The National Mental Health Survey conducted in 2020 estimated that 13.5% of Nepal's population, approximately 3.9 million people, suffered from mental disorders.
This paradox of progress is perhaps most evident in the gig economy, which embodies hypermodernity’s double-edged sword. On one hand, it promises flexibility and autonomy, but on the other, it perpetuates instability, trapping workers in a cycle of endless hustle with little to show for it. This isn’t freedom—it’s precarity disguised as progress. Yet, amid this turbulence, there are glimpses of hope. Hypermodernity’s tools—AI, renewable energy, digital activism—are not inherently destructive. In fact, they hold the potential to address the very problems they’ve thrust upon our civilization. Imagine a world where AI-driven solutions tackle climate change at scale, or where decentralized platforms empower communities to reclaim their autonomy. In these possibilities, we find the seeds of a future that transcends the crises of the present.
The scope of the gig economy, especially in the US, further underscores this tension. Valued at approximately $1 trillion, it’s projected to grow at an annual rate of 16 percent. By 2027, nearly 100 million gig jobs will be created—far surpassing Nepal’s entire GDP. This growth, while promising economic opportunities, amplifies the very challenges it seeks to address, illustrating the complex dynamics of hypermodernity where progress and struggle coexist in a fragile balance.
Changing Job Landscape
A recent report from the World Economic Forum (WEF) underscores the profound shifts underway in the global job market, driven by technological disruption and the march of artificial intelligence. As we advance towards 2030, traditional roles such as bank tellers, cashiers, and administrative assistants are projected to face significant decline, while positions in technology—particularly software development, AI specialization, and data analytics—are poised for explosive growth. The WEF highlights an especially striking trend: frontline occupations, including delivery drivers, construction workers, and care economy professionals, will see notable increases in demand. Yet, this workforce transformation is not without its casualties. Clerical jobs, once the backbone of many industries, will rapidly vanish, reflecting a broader shift away from routine, manual tasks toward highly specialized, knowledge-intensive roles. Despite the disruptions, the WEF’s analysis offers a glimmer of optimism, forecasting that the net creation of 170 million jobs globally by 2030 will outstrip the 92 million expected losses.
The Road Ahead
It is crucial to recognize that Hypermodernity is more than a cultural shift; it’s a revolution reshaping every aspect of our lives. It’s exhilarating, messy, and full of contradictions—a world where progress feels inevitable, but the direction remains uncertain.
As we hurtle forward, the question isn’t whether we can keep up with hypermodernity—it’s whether we can make it work for us. That means embracing its possibilities while acknowledging its pitfalls, finding ways to balance speed with sustainability, and redefining what progress looks like in a world that never stops moving. It’s a wild ride, but it’s one we’re all on together. And for better or worse, the future is hyper.
Nepal: Stuck in the Past
As the world hurries toward an ever-accelerating future, Nepal's government remains perilously detached from the demands of hypermodernity. Trapped in the inertia of outdated ideologies, it clings to concerns that no longer resonate with the evolving needs of its citizens. The government remains largely indifferent to the mass exodus of youth—an exodus driven by the allure of opportunities abroad, leaving behind a nation grappling with a generational disconnect. While technological innovation, social transformation, and environmental urgency are reshaping how nations govern and engage with their people, Nepal’s leadership continues to wrestle with issues long overshadowed by the rapid pace of global change. In an age where hypermodernity insists on swift adaptation and forward-thinking governance, Nepal's lawmakers seem mired in a time warp, disconnected from the complexities of the 21st century. Some are tethered to nostalgia from the 17th century, while others remain mired in the ideologies of the 20th century.
Nepal stands at a crossroads. The world demands constant innovation, agile governance, and an ability to pivot with the times—yet Nepal’s leadership seems paralyzed, struggling to catch up. What the country urgently needs is not incremental change, but a bold, visionary political agenda that can guide it through the complexities of hypermodernity. If Nepal is to survive the whirlwind of hypermodernity, it must reject the inertia of the past and chart a daring course toward a future that can withstand the coming storm—a future where the challenges of tomorrow will hit like a tsunami, engulfing the nation in a relentless wave of change and chaos if it fails to act immediately.
