Seems to me that individualism goes in cycles. During the 30's, did not many of today's support systems get established? Are not the financial supports going on right now helping most?
Individualism is also a form of fear that is pervading some societies but not everyone in those societies or all the time. Poor communication skills and few venues for doing so on a regular basis lead to a lack of trust in others and greater defensiveness, IMHO. Social media has exaggerated the problem but was not the cause.
Basically, there seems to be confusion between individualism or "me first" vs "self reliance within a society.