The Erosion of Social Fabric in an Anti-Institutional Age – And How We Rebuild

Across the political spectrum, a strange paradox is unfolding. Many of us agree that some of our most powerful institutions are not serving the public well. We can all think of many examples of government agencies, media outlets, banks, tech companies and corporate monopolies. We’ve seen corruption, inefficiency, and gridlock. We’ve seen systems designed for another era failing to meet the challenges of this one.

It’s no surprise, then, that anti-institutional sentiment is surging. The impulse to tear down what’s broken is as American as the Boston Tea Party. Throughout our history, periods of reform have been marked by dismantling outdated systems to make way for better ones. There is also a different impulse, which is to tighten up, to restrict, to lock down a grasp for a past that worked for some people. To stop telling the truth, to hide history, to gloss over in order to push us back towards something that it seemed like it worked for some of the people.

But here’s the danger: past eras of institutional collapse were followed by periods of renewal because we still had strong civic connections holding us together through the gaps. Today, those connections – our shared social civic fabric, our network and networking capacity – are fraying. If we dismantle flawed institutions without restoring our capacity to work together, we risk being left with nothing but rubble.

Why This Time Is Different

In the 1930s, the Great Depression spurred the creation of new institutions like the Social Security Administration and the modern Department of Agriculture. In the 1970s, public outrage over burning rivers and choking smog led to the Environmental Protection Agency and sweeping clean air and water laws. These reinventions were possible because Americans still shared a basic sense of civic trust, a common language for public debate, and networks that could bridge differences.

Today, those underlying conditions are weaker than ever.

• Local civic participation is declining – fewer people belong to community organizations, religious congregations, or unions than in previous generations (as noted in the recent Join or Die documentary).
• We are more polarized – Each side of the political spectrum increasingly sees the other not just as wrong, but as fundamentally bad. According to Pew Research, majorities of both Republicans (72%) and Democrats (64%) now hold these negative views of one another. Weaponizing our differences into a shift that reflects deepening mutual hostility, not just political disagreement.
• Trust in government is near historic lows – only about 20% of Americans say they trust the federal government to do the right thing most of the time.

These trends matter because institutional rebuilding isn’t just about drafting better laws or designing smarter agencies. It’s about whether people can still act together.

The Civic Petri Dish: Why Fabric Matters

Think of society as a petri dish. Institutions, governments, schools, nonprofits are like organisms that grow in that dish. For new, healthy institutions to emerge, the environment itself (agar) must be supportive: rich in trust, thick with relationships, and hospitable to collaboration.

In the past, America’s civic petri dish was nurtured by:

• Shared spaces – libraries, town halls, public parks, and main streets where people regularly crossed paths.
• Common narratives – a relatively small set of news sources and cultural touchstones that created a baseline of shared facts.
• Cross-cutting relationships – ties between people of different backgrounds forged through service clubs, schools, and local projects.

Today, the base gel of the dish is barren and polluted. Many shared spaces have disappeared or become inaccessible. Information ecosystems are fragmented and often adversarial. Social connections are increasingly siloed by ideology, geography, and algorithm.

If we try to grow the next generation of institutions in this environment, we will fail, not because people don’t care, but because the conditions for collective action no longer exist.

A Timely Conversation: Institutions, Abundance, and the Missing Ingredient

This challenge came into sharper focus in a recent conversation between Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson on the Lex Fridman Podcast. They discussed the natural rise and fall of institutions, comparing today’s political landscape to earlier moments when America created new agencies in response to urgent crises. Klein and Thompson argued for bold reforms – in housing, in governance, in efficiency – and called for a “manifesto for abundance” that would clear barriers to building and innovation.

There’s truth in that vision. We do need institutions that are more nimble, more capable, and more responsive. But there’s a piece missing from the abundance conversation: the relational infrastructure that allows people to sustain change after the initial wave of reform. Without strong civic networks, even the best-designed institutions will falter under the weight of polarization and mistrust.

This is where the work of rebuilding our social fabric becomes not just a nice-to-have, but a prerequisite for every other kind of progress. The roadblock between us and “abundance” is not a particular policy; the roadblock is the fundamental collapse of our ability to collaborate. Solutions and manifestos that focus on deregulations vs. our collaborative capacities will only speed us along a dead end road of more more more.

We must feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, care for the sick, create jobs, build wealth, and improve health in ways that regenerate and repair what’s broken. Service to others at scale not only meets urgent needs; it also renews our collective well-being and strengthens our capacity to do more.

From Anti-Institutionalism to Networked Renewal

At Netcentric Campaigns, we’ve seen the difference between movements that focus solely on structural change and those that also invest in the network of people who will carry that change forward. In every major reform era, success has depended on the same underlying assets: trust, shared purpose, and the ability to bridge divides.

We call this network capacity – and it can be intentionally strengthened. Our Seven Elements of Effective Networks offer a practical framework:

1. Building and reinforcing social ties – Relationships are the bedrock of collaboration. Without them, strategy disagreements fracture movements.
2. Creating a communications grid – Reliable channels for conversation, problem-solving, and identity-building across the network.
3. Developing a common language – Words that unite rather than divide, and that make room for disagreement without rupture.
4. Defining a clear vision – A shared “north star” that guides decisions and inspires participation.
5. Creating shared resources – Pooling skills, tools, and funding to strengthen the whole.
6. Identifying key actors and connectors – The people who drive momentum, hold trust, and keep the network aligned.
7. Establishing feedback mechanisms – Systems for listening, learning, and adapting based on the needs of the community.

These elements are not abstract ideals – they are actionable steps that any movement, community, or coalition can take to restore the civic petri dish in which renewal can take root.

Practical Steps for Leaders and Communities

The good news is that we don’t need to wait for Congress to act before we start rebuilding social fabric. Much of this work can begin locally and scale outward. Here are concrete steps leaders can take now:

• Invest in bridging spaces – Support places (physical and digital) where people from different backgrounds meet around shared interests.
• Train trusted messengers – Equip individuals who can cross cultural and political boundaries with the skills to convene and connect.
• Audit network health – Use network mapping and health indicators to understand where relationships are strong and where they need attention.
• Model collaborative behavior – Leaders set the tone by working visibly across divides and acknowledging shared wins.
• Embed feedback loops – Create mechanisms for genuine two-way dialogue between institutions and the communities they serve.

Resisting the Forces of Fragmentation

We must also recognize that fragmentation isn’t an accident – it’s profitable for certain actors. Social media platforms profit from outrage-driven engagement. Some political operatives see division as a way to lock in power. Special interests thrive when communities can’t coordinate a unified response.

Countering these forces means:

• Policy reform – Greater transparency in algorithm design, guardrails against disinformation, and incentives for platforms that foster healthy dialogue.
• Public awareness – Naming “civic pollution” for what it is: the slow erosion of trust, shared truth, and relational infrastructure.
• Movement alignment – Bringing together organizations across sectors – public health, climate, democracy, social justice – to share strategies for reconnection.

Why This Matters Now

The cycles of institutional rise and fall will continue. The question is whether we will be ready for the “rebuild” phase. Right now, the signs are troubling:

• The civic fabric is thinner than at any point in living memory.
• We are more likely to dismantle than to construct.
• The connective tissue that once allowed communities to pivot from outrage to organization is wearing away.

Without deliberate investment in network building, the next institutional collapse – whether sparked by economic crisis, environmental disaster, or political upheaval – could leave us scattered, unable to mount a coordinated response.

Build the Civic Commons

Rebuilding the social fabric is not nostalgia for an idealized past. It is a strategic imperative. When we talk about abundance, innovation, and reform, we must talk equally about the networks of people that will sustain them.

Netcentric Campaigns exists for this moment: to help movements, leaders, and communities weave the connections that make renewal possible. We aren’t just equipped for this work – we are already taking the first steps. Our emerging initiative will bring people together across sectors and geographies to create the network capacity needed to confront this crisis of fragmentation head-on. The process will evolve over time, but the goal is clear: to build a stronger, more resilient civic fabric that enables collective action.

If you’re seeing the effects of disconnection in your community, organization, or field – or if you want to be part of shaping the solution – we want to hear from you. Together, we can create the connections, shared language, and collaborative capacity our democracy needs to thrive.

This work is just beginning. Let’s grow this network, repair what’s been broken, and ensure that when the next cycle of reform comes, we have the strength and unity to seize it.