Networked individualism represents the shift of the classical model of social arrangements formed around hierarchical bureaucracies or social groups that are tightly-knit, like households and work groups, to connected individuals, using the means provided by the evolution of Information and communications technology.
[2][3] It was elaborated on by Lee Rainie and Barry Wellman in their 2012 book Networked: The New Social Operating System (MIT Press).
Those groups can be dispersed around the globe, and the combination of those networks make for a highly individualized, and well-networked, person.
In incorporating the internet and mobile phones into their lives, people have changed the ways they interact with each other.
In the world of networked individuals, it is the person who is the focus; more than the family, the work unit, the neighborhood, and the social group.