Hyperpolitics is low-commitment and low-value compared to twentieth-century mass politics

Evidence

Political activity here no longer appears as the exclusive domain of specialists, technocrats, or wonks. Yet political engagement under discussion is also less exigent, more individualistic and shortterm than it was for much of the twentieth century. In contrast to the “high” politics of the years 1918 to 1989, hyperpolitics is an abidingly “low” form—low-commitment, low-cost, and all too often, low-value. It thus diverges from both the postpolitics of the long 1990s and the mass politics that came before, leaving the impression of a Carrollian grin without a cat. — Anton Jäger, Hyperpolitics, 53

Categorization

• DEFINE: Specifies why hyperpolitics is a ‘low’ form and explains the chapter title’s grin-without-a-cat image.