modernsesse

Modernsesse is a neologism used to denote the quality or condition of being modern, especially in cultural, social, and technological contexts. The term is applied to the set of attitudes, practices, and infrastructures associated with contemporary life, including rapid change, globalization, digital networks, and consumer culture. It functions as a descriptive category rather than a prescriptive program.

Etymology: the word appears to combine modern with a suffix resembling French -esse or English -ness, and is used primarily in scholarly or speculative discussions about modernity. It is not widely established in standard reference dictionaries, and its meaning can vary with context.

In discourse, modernsesse is used to analyze how societies experience and manage innovation, information flow, urbanization, and cultural pluralism. It is relevant to studies of design and architecture, where it describes contemporary aesthetics and functional imperatives; to media and communication, where it concerns networked publics; and to philosophy or sociology, where it engages questions of identity, time, relativity of values, and the pressure of novelty.

Critics note that modernsesse can be overly vague or normative, conflating modern life with positive progress and overlooking tensions such as inequality, environmental impact, or loss of tradition. Some observers treat it as a convenient umbrella term that masks differences between regions or classes.

Further reading on related topics includes modernity, modernism, contemporaneity, and postmodernism, as well as discussions of globalization and digital culture.