Is society made of NPCs?

[anagram.nagaram]

The NPC phenomenon is not an illusion. It may not be a recent phenomenon - but it is a real phenomenon. Just look at what/who people in massive cities vote for. They vote over 70% in favor of a candidate who essentially destroys their city with each term. It's also called group think.

 

[aster]

That perception is a result of a individualistic view of society to the extreme, imagine being in a village, in the 1800 or so, a crowd would gossip and call the authorities in front of a person who yells at the sky, depending on the society in question they could imprison you or send you to a shrink, perhaps they simply call the priest or offer help. It has its disadvantages because everyone meddles a bit in the lives of others and gossip, but perhaps it is a society that is a little more interested in the collective because it affects the life of the entire town.
Even in the 1800 (or some other time) in the big cities it was a little bit more like our times, because the dense population and city life also tends to make people behave in a more libertine way.