In advanced economies, the values of society and the individual change. At the heart of this is the key issue around identity and belonging. We have always had community. Pre-industrialization, we were tied to our communities by geography, tradition, the state and birthright. External forces shaped our identity. However, in a post-modern world we can have many selves, as we undertake a quest for self identity.
This is described as psychological self-determination - the ability to exert control over the most important aspects of one’s life, especially personal identity, which has become the source of meaning and purpose in a life no longer dictated by geography or tradition.
The Community Generation shun traditional organizations in favor of unmediated relationship to the things they care about. The Community Generation seek and expect direct participation and influence. They possess the skills to lead, confer and discuss. These people are not watching television, and have grown up in a world of search and two-way flows of communication.