A world with no morals

According to the American Psychological Association, demoralisation can be defined as the “breakdown of values, standards and morals of an individual or group, such as may occur in periods of rapid social change, extended crises (war, economic depression), or personal traumas.”

It can happen when one’s sense of purpose and meaning is gradually eroded, leading to feelings of hopelessness, apathy and a lack of motivation. This can occur in a variety of contexts, such as in the workplace, in relationships, and in society as a whole.

Demoralisation may affect societies on various levels, ranging from the more malleable teens and young adults to the most hardened older generations.

In the dawn of the fourth industrial revolution – where all societies are virtually interconnected – people are exposed to a variety of morals and ideals stemming from different backgrounds. Take social media for example – you could throw out the most morally perverse ideology possible, and you would still find someone out there that would agree with your stance.

Perhaps one of the causes of demoralisation could be the substantial increase in globalisation – the interdependence of the world’s economies, cultures and populations, mainly brought about by cross-border trade in goods, services, technology and information.

Everyone is virtually connected, and we are exposed to many different ideologies, from the tamest to the most extreme. The continuous exposure to such ideologies may affect how one perceives their own beliefs and norms. This is not necessarily a negative, as we have a lot to learn from other cultures.

The issue arises however, when we start getting desensitised to our own morals. What is right and what is wrong are no longer dictated by personal thoughts, but rather by the thoughts of the majority.

In a society that is heavily dependent on social media, propaganda can be spread much more easily. Altruism is glorified and conservativeness is almost seen as a sin.

Following trends on TikTok and similar platforms is made out to be the best way to “fit in” with the rest. It gradually becomes a race of who can copy others the best and gain the most views. Eventually, the amount of attention one can get becomes the most important factor, regardless of the content being shared.

China – the origin of TikTok – limits access for students to only educational content, and only for a certain amount of time per day. Yet, we have access to such content and more for longer periods of time. Steve Jobs limited his children’s’ use of iPads. One of the reasons why they enforced these rules was to regulate what their youth were exposed to – to differentiate between what was useful and what was not.

Continuous exposure to any act may lead to desensitisation. An example of this is when a soldier may become desensitised to death in a battlefield. This also applies to what we consume from social media, or rather what it consumes from us. Many people spend hours on social media and trade cheap entertainment for the most precious commodity – time.

As Earl Nightingale said, “We become what we think about most of the time.” When we spend hours on algorithms that are tailored to steal our attention, we can easily be influenced by what we view.

Demoralisation is a complex problem that can have significant negative effects on individuals and society, thus addressing it requires a multi-faceted approach.