Disconnected: Hanging Up on Hanging Out

The current trend of ending relationships over political differences is a profound manifestation of anomie and social disintegration. I'm not saying these "divorces" aren't necessary, nor am I saying that they are good or bad. I'm not judging (not, right now). I'm just pointing out what's right in front of all of us. Full disclosure: I doubt my former friends and ex-family will be reading this.

This growing, often heart-wrenching phenomenon represents more than just political disagreement - it's a symptom of a deeper breakdown in social cohesion and shared moral frameworks. You just don’t “get them” anymore and they certainly don’t “get you”... or respect you. A little editorializing there.

Sociologist Emile Durkheim, the guy who came up with the term “anomie,” would see this dissolution of relationships as a critical warning sign of, well, anomie. Anomie, as you'll recall, refers to a state of social instability resulting from a breakdown of social norms, values, and meaningful connections. 

The severing of relationships at this level, a level I struggle to compare to any other in history, is such an important indicator of our collapse. You are in the front row! Its an astonishing cultural phenomenon. In our current context, social atomization is accelerating through several key mechanisms:

1. Technological Isolation.

Social media and digital communication create echo chambers that reinforce individual beliefs while simultaneously fragmenting shared social experiences. People increasingly live in personalized information bubbles, reducing opportunities for genuine dialogue and mutual understanding. Our phones and social media are making us strangers to each other. Online platforms show us mostly what we already believe, creating invisible walls around our thinking. Unlike previous generations who watched the same TV shows or read the same newspapers, we now live in separate digital worlds that rarely overlap.

2. Moral Tribalism.

Political differences have become more than simple disagreements - they now represent fundamental conflicts about core human values. These are not trivial disputes, but deep moral schisms about human rights, social justice, and ethical responsibility. People increasingly view political stances as existential markers that define not just policy preferences, but fundamental beliefs about human dignity and societal organization. This means disagreements feel less like typical political debates and more like irreconcilable moral universes.

3. Weakening Institutional Bonds.

The groups that used to bring communities together - like local churches, unions, and community centers - are disappearing. These used to be places where people with different backgrounds would meet, talk, and understand each other. Without these meeting grounds, we're becoming more isolated and less practiced at finding common ground.

This increasing polarization reveals profound moral schisms that cut to the core of fundamental human values - where differences are no longer about political strategy, but about deeply held beliefs about human rights, social justice, and the very nature of ethical responsibility. When these differences become irreconcilable, the social fabric begins to fray.

The willingness to completely sever personal relationships reflects a landscape where moral differences have become so fundamental that continuing relationships would require compromising core ethical principles. It suggests that political discourse has transformed from a space of negotiation to a battleground of competing moral universes.

This social atomization creates a dangerous feedback loop: as people isolate themselves into smaller, more ideologically pure groups, they become less capable of empathy, compromise, and collective problem-solving. The very mechanisms of social negotiation begin to break down.

The risk is not just social friction, but a potential descent into a state of normlessness - where traditional regulatory social mechanisms can no longer effectively moderate human interactions. In such a state, individuals become increasingly alienated, with personal desires and moral absolutes replacing collective understanding. I can't be the only one who sees it. Right?

Ultimately, this process threatens the fundamental social contract. It is both a symptom and a cause whose tipping point it’s own feedback loop seems to have tipped. When moral differences become so pronounced that they destroy personal relationships, society loses its capacity for the subtle, nuanced negotiations that maintain social stability. 

Again, nothing for you to do here. Just giving you a glimpse at the obvious. Things are gonna get worse before they get much, much worse. It's tough out there. Hug your pets. Wave to a squirrel. Be kind… even to you!