Morals, tech, political activity all intertwined
Renowned New York Times columnist David Brooks asserts that the moral problems of our nation are far worse than its political ones. He argues that “modern society is suffering from a fundamental crisis of meaning, character, and moral formation rather than a traditional political divide”… and that “the loss of a shared moral order has left generations feeling isolated, leading them to use tribal politics as a substitute for community.”
This is a compelling viewpoint, considering rising discontent, unprecedented concentration of wealth, and the divisive chaos of AI-corrupted disinformation. But the mutual influences of complex interactions among morality, technology, and political activities must be scrutinized, realizing that each can uplift, degrade, or moderate the other. We continue suffering a degradation of moral standards, brazenly propagated by normalized political corruption and ruthlessness. But this reckless political malfeasance was made possible by a gradual decline in moral values, further facilitated by demoralizing uses of technology – foremost social-networking. Moreover, information gathered and monetized by the creators of this algorithm-based technology has generated enormous wealth, making Big Tech’s opportunistic agenda politically dominant through lavish campaign donations.
The prospects of mid-term elections are disturbingly vulnerable to these disruptive influences, including the invalidation of Georgia’s voting results.