Social Dialogue Against Individualisims?

Institutions that structured social dialogue in the 20th century are now jeopardized by the rise of individualism, whose corollaries are two-fold. First, a weakened perception of reality in terms of social classes, despite the latter still structuring society (we now think in terms of groups or communities, each individual belonging to several of these depending on his origin, gender, sexuality, etc.). Second, a loss of confidence and interest for traditional representative actors.

Shall we attempt to give back its legitimacy to and modernize existing organs of social dialogue or rather turn to completely novel forms of social dialogue? Was the ‘Great Debate’ that the French government launched this year in response to the ‘yellow jackets’ movement a dialogue?

We will also need to reflect on social dialogue in a digital era. It seems that social movements today arise on the Internet before they even exist on the ground. It is in this virtual space that collective action is organized and that demands are amplified. Shall we praise this democratization of access to new means of expression or be concerned about it?