Safe Time and the Expulsion from Time or a Review of Selected Postmodern Approaches to Time

Abstract

The aim of this article is to analyze the postmodern concept of time in Zygmunt Bauman’s approach and to assess whether its evolution constitutes a challenge, a threat, or a potential source of risk for contemporary societies.
The research method involves an analysis of selected texts on consumer society, comparing them with different historical perceptions of time. The findings will be presented in the form of conclusions related to the message directed at consumers.
The primary conclusion of the article is as follows: In the consumer society, individuals focus on the present, with consumption-driven stimuli diverting their attention from the continuity of time. As a result, an increasing number of people fail to consider the future. The absence of a long-term perspective limits the ability to prepare for it, hindering efforts to prevent emerging threats. Viewing time as fragmented, rather than continuous, is not conducive to self-improvement, achieving long-term goals, or addressing challenges such as climate change, wars, or diseases.