Input

Humans are a machine that turns input into output. Converting stimuli into responses. The mind mediates these two, and is where morals may interject. Naturally, if a human only has input and output, and morals affect its output, then its morals must be influenced by its input.

One of the largest forms of input for a human today is media. 83% of American adults use YouTube. 68% use Facebook. Growing up, nearly everyone I knew watched TV, and as technology with time progressed, we moved to computers, and then smartphones. We get information beamed to us at a rate faster than we barely ever realize. Social media. The news. Entertainment in general.

Hopefully schooling is structured in a way to teach people "good morals", though bias always has a chance to factor in, even if it's in a direction you favor. And if you don't walk away from history class with at least some basic ethics, there's plenty of other impressions available that can take hold. There’s an uncountable amount of stimuli that may have affected a person here, and continually throughout their lives, but culturally there’s a few big ones.

Movies and books I believe can lay a foundation for what people will base their morals on. An Avengers and Star-Wars movie are among the top 5 highest-grossing films ever. It may seem obvious, but films such as these tell an easy-to-digest story of two sides that disagree, with one that is clearly in the right, while the “evil” side only seeks to cause destruction. This, especially while growing up, may channel someone’s beliefs into a specific direction. I would like to think that most people realize this, and choose to seek further input from other sources, though these can still be a very real influence.

The film The Holy Mountain, attempts to display several sins of modern humanity it commits against itself, and in one gag it shows off a fictional comic book “Captain Captain against the Peruvian Monster,” a campaign created to train youth on an enemy engineered for monetary gain. This among other parts from this section demonstrate how basic entertainment media can be used to subtly sway one’s opinions. This in itself is entertainment influencing one’s beliefs, as again this is just a movie designed to make me think and feel in a certain way.

The news is another obvious example. The news is quite literally made to tell you information, and most likely ever since Walter Cronkite, is commonly demonstrably skewed to push you towards a certain ethos, or even to tell a narrative. This can trickle down or even source from other forms of media. Social media such as Twitter, Tumblr, and 4chan can be inherently political both in their existence or in their user base, and fuel cultures each with respective beliefs.

Part of extracting beliefs from media is knowing this. Understanding that media can influence your beliefs can in turn shape you to form other certain beliefs. All of this is designed to be input, and it influences my output.

Experiences

Something else that humans experience is experiences. While the world has its structure and its systems passing you by, and the media you intake is an important factor, a lot of this is still dependent on you, and what you actually experience in your own life is also a large part of defining who you are. What you watch can depict a certain narrative, though this will have less impact if it doesn’t reflect what you actually experience in the real world. The mindset in which you interpret experiences is also, in turn, shaped by your experiences. You might not catch on social cues that you weren’t accustomed to growing up, for example.

Communication is another factor of humanity. The experiences of others can be conveyed throughout conversation. Learned at school. Posted online. The experiences of others can in turn affect you if the information can be accurately shared with you. Some social media ban certain content, limiting your knowledge if you are unaware (which can be a self sustaining cycle). Though if communication methods last long enough, info from previous generations can be used to learn and build upon.

Certain people will have more sway, though. Parent figures raise you, and even if you disagree with them, their views and experiences will inevitably affect yours. Your friends will have a good chance of sharing views, reinforcing beliefs, as you will most likely be going through similar experiences or are a part of the same community. Understanding the ethics of others may shape your own to better connect as well. To better communicate. To understand each other on a deeper level. To better understand humanity.

Self reflection is an important layer on top of personal experiences. Understanding things that have happened to you will only get you so far if you are unable to understand how you react to them, and if your reactions are truly in line with your morals. Your morals will tangibly mean nothing if you do not act within their bounds.

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