Social Trends for Designers

Emerging social and technical trends have caused the line between consumer and designer to become increasingly blurred. Questions have been raised around how changes will affect the way products are designed and used. Several reasons behind these changes include:

1) Decreasing cost of technology
2) 'Democratization' of products as many now have a say in the design of products they use
3) Social mediums are are becoming more integrated throughout the design process

Social communities geared for specific niches are well known for gaining traction and power from numbers and aggregation; however we rely on customization of objects to help define us. In regards to design, is there a way to achieve communal customization without sacrificing individuality?