The Dynamic Mask and Structural Subjectivity Under Late Modernity: Ontological Leakage, Extraction, and Adaptive Continuity

Abstract This article proposes a structural model of subjectivity under late modern conditions by integrating phenomenological ontology, critical social theory, and systems-oriented approaches to identity formation. It argues that contemporary subjectivity is better understood not as a stable interior entity or primarily as a problem of relational alienation, but as a continuously adaptive process operating under conditions of ontological leakage and systemic extraction. Building on Hartmut Rosa’s theory of social acceleration while re-evaluating its explanatory primacy, the article suggests that the central dynamic of late modern subjectivity is not primarily a loss of resonance but an increasing asymmetry between the dispersion of subjective resources and their external capture by socio-technical systems. To account for adaptive continuity under such conditions, the article introduces the concept of the “dynamic mask” as a regulatory interface that stabilizes subjective coherence through continuous modulation of affect, attention, and symbolic expression. A cyclical model of existential entropy and regeneration is proposed, in which breakdown and reconfiguration are understood as structural components of subjective continuity. The article contributes to contemporary debates in social ontology and critical theory by offering a non-reductive model of subject stability and transformation under conditions of accelerated modernity. Keywords: subjectivity, social acceleration, dynamic mask, ontological leakage, extraction, existential entropy, social ontology