My mother died today. Or maybe yesterday, I don’t know. I received a telegram from the old people’s home. ‘Mother deceased. Funeral tomorrow. Very sincerely yours’. That doesn’t mean anything. It might have been yesterday.
– Albert Camus, The Stranger
Nihilism originates from the word nihil which means nothing or nothingness in Latin. This term was popularised around the 19th century where it was often expressed in philosophical contexts. Nihilism can be described as the ideology of nothing where there is no evil or good in the world, rather the world rotates in unmeaningful existence. Believing in this philosophy inherently means that it does not matter whether you view the glass as half full or half empty, it makes no difference as every life will ultimately result in death.
The opening line of Camus’ literary classic, The Stranger effectively illustrates the mind of a nihilist through its protagonist, Bernard Meursault who navigates a monotonous life. This book is set after he receives news of his mother’s death. However, rather than expressing grief, Meursault fixates on how sleepy he felt during the funeral service. He also stressed on trivial details like the good coffee served by the caretaker and the glaringly hot sun during the day. This highlights his emotional detachment and indifference as if his mother’s death was a matter of inconvenience rather than a mournful loss: “I told him that I didn’t really feel anything, but that I would have preferred it if she hadn’t died.”
Nihilists often reject social constructs like religion and morality as it breaches individual freedom to do as they please. Systems or institutions built on the sense of right and wrong are regarded as a design to oppress humans and disobeying it is more favourable as at the end of the day – nothing matters. Nihilists often find themselves floating without a sense of belonging to anyone or anywhere as there is no such thing as building meaningful relationships with family or friends. Popular movies like Fight Club (1999) and American Psycho (2000) also center on nihilistic characters who embrace chaos and destruction. As exemplified in the former movie, (although I am ironically breaking the first rule) : “ The first rule of Fight Club is, you do not talk about Fight Club.” Whilst bound by secrecy, they actively reject societal norms and create their own tenets in a chaotic world that prioritizes personal liberation over conventional morality.
Social media is argued to catalyse a new generation which may not necessarily be nihilists, but exhibit nihilistic traits including existential despair, emptiness and emotional detachment to life. Experiencing these feelings as a human being is normal, but social media platforms tend to amplify or exacerbate these tendencies to unnecessary heights. Platforms like Instagram and TikTok rely on algorithms to keep their users engaged which creates an echo chamber effect. Thus, users who often engage in depressing content will be stuck in a nihilistic feedback loop where they are constantly fed with harmful notions that perpetuate unhealthy coping mechanisms and reinforce negative thought patterns. Consequently, individuals are being surrounded with mirror images of themselves, which makes it harder for them to break free or find healthier settings in the long term.
This could also potentially foster a false sense of community around sadness. Users tend to be drawn to this safe space as their emotions are validated. However, being restricted in this bubble may make them feel as if constant despair is their only way of life or rooted in their identity, which is objectively further detrimental. It certainly does not help that these nihilistic convictions are being glorified as cool or desirable, which compels people to want to feel sad in the first place. It also puts an overwhelming pressure on people to fit into certain personas or aesthetics that reduce complex feelings into superficial stereotypes.
In conclusion, embracing nihilism as a way of life can harm society as it rejects the cornerstone of a peaceful government: the consensus on what is good or bad. Moreover, it is extremely important to practice mindfulness and balance the consumption of media so that we do not lose touch of reality. The media we consume is often the result of our own curation, thus being selective and considering certain biases may help us to navigate through a hyper-connected world.
Image sourced from Reddit, user: [PhilosophyMemes]
References
Ee_Mm (2023). Nietzsche and Tyler Durden: Unveiling the Philosophy of Fight Club. [online] Medium. Available at: https://medium.com/@musaevaelvina0/nietzsche-and-tyler-durden-unveiling-the-philosophy-of-fight-club-ac80f816b5ee.
MasterClass (2020). What Is Nihilism? Definition and Concepts of the Philosophy – 2024 – MasterClass. [online] MasterClass. Available at: https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-nihilism.
