Following @Virtue: Social Media, American Democracy, and the Quest for the Good Life
Abstract
Social media represents a techonomoral dichotomy. As a tool, it has brought great benefits to many, yet it is also facilitating the spread of unethical behaviors that are degrading the moral foundations of the good life as envisioned in American democracy. Malicious actors are capitalizing on the moral listlessness of social media to attack the societal, political, and power structures that are core to American democracy and the flourishing of society. Foreign and domestic actors are leveraging emotivism to destroy public trust and rational cognitive processes through disinformation campaigns. Politicians and social media CEOs are using social media to alter the U.S. political landscape in unethical ways for their benefit, thus upsetting the delicate balance of power in American democracy. Left unchecked, future trends in emerging social media technologies will provide malevolent actors greater means for engaging in immoral behaviors to weaken the foundational structures of American democracy. Solutions to these challenging issues will require a technical approach coupled with a moral approach based upon the principles of virtue ethics. Applying ethical principles on the societal level to the rapidly evolving and tumultuous environment of social media will help ensure that American democracy flourishes into the good life - a life worth wanting.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 27, 2021
- Accession Number
- AD1206046
Entities
People
- David K Hyde
Organizations
- Naval War College