Jump to content

Draft:Societal Egonomics

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Societal Egonomics is a contemporary socio-cultural and economic framework coined by South African entrepreneur and global advertising executive Mike Abel in early 2025. It describes a global shift in value systems - from contribution, substance, and expertise, toward personality, perception, and performative identity.

Combining “ego” and “economics,” Societal Egonomics explores how personal visibility and brandable identity increasingly replace actual merit or production as core drivers of value - in media, politics, business, and culture. It captures an era where being seen often matters more than being valuable.

Origin and Coinage

The term Societal Egonomics was first introduced publicly by Mike Abel through a series of essays, keynote addresses, and media interviews in 2025. Drawing from his 35+ years in global advertising and strategic leadership, Abel defined the concept as a warning bell, alerting society to the dangerous fusion of ego, commerce, and culture.

He presented Societal Egonomics as a lens through which to interpret the rise of influencer economies, political narcissism, and shallow brand thinking, offering both critique and context for this new age of “perception-as-product.”

Core Tenets

Societal Egonomics rests on several defining characteristics:

  • Ego as currency: Attention, not value, becomes the asset that moves markets and minds.
  • Influence before substance: Visibility is monetised long before a product or proof of skill exists.
  • The self as marketplace: Individuals brand and sell curated versions of themselves—often detached from reality.
  • Truth as collateral: As ego becomes the engine, authenticity and accuracy are often sacrificed for traction and trendiness.

Cultural Manifestations

Societal Egonomics is reflected in:

  • Influencer-first marketing: Where virality trumps quality, and personal branding sells more than product performance.
  • Celebrity entrepreneurship: Skincare, spirits, and supplements launched on little more than social clout.
  • Political cultism: Where personality eclipses policy, and voters follow charisma over competence.
  • Activism as theatre: Where causes are performed for likes, often devoid of depth or lasting impact.

Criticism and Commentary

Critics argue that Societal Egonomics promotes narcissism, undermines expertise, and rewards the performative over the meaningful. Abel himself warns that when ego becomes the business model, truth becomes negotiable and hype replaces value.

He contrasts this with the principles of long-term brand-building, where trust, consistency, and genuine contribution are cornerstones of lasting success.

Impact and Influence

The theory of Societal Egonomics has gained traction in business ethics, media studies, cultural criticism, and leadership development circles. It has been cited as a useful model to critique:

  • The decay of institutional credibility
  • The pressure for personal commodification
  • The performative nature of modern identity
  • The burnout culture linked to hyper-self-promotion

Abel continues to champion more grounded, human-centric values in public discourse, calling for a return to integrity, curiosity, and shared purpose.

In Media and Academia

Abel’s concept of Societal Egonomics has been discussed on radio, in visual essays, academic forums, and business platforms. It has become a rallying cry for those resisting the superficiality of the current age, and advocating instead for real leadership, creativity, and courage.

References

[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Draft:Societal_Egonomics&oldid=1295861946"