Ethical Analysis of Anomie: From Durkheim to the Digital Age

Abstract

Anomie, as a core concept in sociology, reveals the impact of the lack of social norms on individuals and groups. From the perspective of ethics, this paper systematically sorts out the theoretical development from Durkheim (1897) to the contemporary digital society, and combines empirical research to explore the evolution mechanism of Anomie and its ethical response strategies. The study found that: (1) Anomie in traditional society mainly stems from social structural transformation, such as industrialization and urbanization. (2) Contemporary digital technologies, such as algorithmic governance and social media, have exacerbated the fragmentation of moral cognition. (3) Cultural differences. For example, the confrontation between individualism and collectivism has led to the differentiation of Anomie performance and governance paths. This paper proposes that future ethical research should focus on technology governance, cross-cultural adaptation and institutional repair to cope with the moral crisis in the digital age.