Collective Pretence (Definition)

Collective pretence is a socio-psychological mechanism wherein a group of people, or an entire society, cooperatively maintains a shared fiction. Unlike simple deception, where one party actively misleads another, collective pretence is characterized by mutual awareness: all participating parties are aware that the shared narrative is false, and they are aware that everyone else knows it is false. Despite this transparency, they collectively agree to act as if the narrative is true, creating a performative reality that governs public life.

This concept is central to the theory of hyper-normalisation, developed by anthropologist Alexei Yurchak. In his analysis of the late Soviet Union, Yurchak demonstrated how collective pretence allowed a failing state to maintain an appearance of absolute stability. Citizens attended state-mandated events and repeated ideological slogans not because they believed in them, but because doing so was the accepted social script. The state authorities, similarly, did not expect genuine belief; they only required the performance of compliance. This mutual agreement to play along allowed daily life to proceed smoothly, avoiding the disruption and danger of open confrontation.

Collective pretence serves several functions in a highly structured or failing society:

• Social Navigation: It provides individuals with a predictable, safe script to navigate complex, rigid, or authoritarian institutions without inviting personal risk.
• Conflict Avoidance: By maintaining the illusion that the system is functioning, society avoids the chaotic and potentially dangerous task of dismantling and rebuilding its core structures.
• Preservation of Order: It prevents the immediate collapse of institutions, allowing a semblance of social order to persist even when the underlying foundations have eroded.

In modern contexts, collective pretence can be observed in corporate environments, where employees and managers use buzzwords and performative metrics they know are meaningless, or in political systems, where the public participates in democratic rituals that they believe are largely theatrical. While collective pretence offers short-term stability and individual safety, its long-term cost is high, leading to systemic stagnation, widespread cynicism, and a profound loss of collective agency.

This article is based on the original analysis published by Philosopheasy. Read the full piece here: Unpacking "Hyper-Normalisation" - Philosopheasy.

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