Tragic acts of terror continue to anger and confuse the world as this spinning ball of love, hate, and 70% water peacefully drifts through space. I’m supposed to somehow transition from that statement into my blog topic with something like, “all this has really got me thinking about social media,” without sounding like an asinine, tactless, first-world asshole, but, as you now know, I couldn’t figure out how. Reading people’s online reactions to such events just always feels a little strange to me. It seems like just saying something has become more important than saying something sincere. While doing a little research before figuring out exactly what to discuss in this blog, I read several articles written by marketing managers describing the best tweets a brand should make following such a tragedy. I’m not accusing certain companies of using these kinds of things to their advantage, but it just unsettles me thinking that an important thought to have after scores of people get slaughtered is, “what should I tweet?”
We all remember responding to the Paris attacks just a few short months ago, writing lengthy posts about love and compassion, offering our opinions on politics and Islam, and changing our profile pictures to show solidarity with France. I didn’t really take part in any of that, and I’m in no way saying doing one thing or the other is wrong or right, I just always feel too confused and stupefied to share anything at all. It seems like every week dozens of innocent lives end suddenly at the hands of some ideological organization. Iraq. Pakistan. Ivory Coast. California. Brussels. All so recent. I don't know if any of you relate to this statement, but sometimes, I just don’t know how to feel. What should I feel? What should I do? I don’t want to say something just because it will make me feel better and help me get on with my life, but I also don’t want to remain silent and feel powerless as horror engulfs our world. As a result, a kind of paralysis sets in, and I observe stoically as body counts rise, fingers are pointed, condolences are offered, and the world awaits its next massacre. None of it makes the least bit of sense. We all carry this knowledge of the immense suffering and cruelty in society, and I, for one, don’t really know how to handle it.
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| Art by Banksy |
I apologize if that was bleak; I’ve just never shared my feelings around that subject before, and I’m very interested to hear how you all feel as well.
Now to change tone a bit with a topic that relates to the general idea of what I wrote above. I will discuss recent findings about social media and empathy. A startling study from the University of Michigan in 2010 found that in the thirty years from 1979 to 2009, empathic characteristics of college-aged students dropped by over 30%. The researchers drew no definitive conclusions about the cause of the decline, but speculated that the rise in personal technology use damages interpersonal dynamics. A 2015 study from California State University specifically analyzed the effects of various types of online behavior on empathy. It concluded that going online had an extremely small negative impact on real-world empathy, and, actually correlated with increased face-to-face interaction. One interesting detail, however, notes that for both males and females, subjects scored higher on real-world empathy tests than virtual empathy tests, meaning people feel less compelled to be compassionate online.
Since social media holds such a crucial rule in our generation’s civic engagement, the mentality of online interactions can deeply affect which causes we fight for and which we ignore. For example, strong online empathy manifests itself in the widespread support behind LGBTQ rights. As people gain more and more friends, especially in the less discriminatory manner social media offers than real life, they gain new perspectives into people’s lives. Individuals who may not interact frequently with members of the LGBTQ community might be exposed to their lives online and acquire a new understanding and a deeper compassion.
To interject my own opinion, I think the internet and social media sites have rapidly increased the global information intake we absorb each day. This incredible awareness can overstimulate us, leading to apathy and disconnectedness, but it can also help bolster change and create new ways of thinking. We are the sole species on Earth with an adroit control of technology. When you think about it, technology is really what makes us human. So let’s do what we do best and use our wonderful technological capabilities to further our own humanity.
I agree with you that people tend to post about terror, so that they can say they said something. I do not see any value in doing that unless you have a genuine connection because it's insincere. It takes me two seconds to change my profile picture in solidarity - it requires no real thought or personal sacrifice. And my real motivation to do it? Because everyone else is. I find this phenomenon very unsettling.
ReplyDeleteI think that we really way too much on social media in our world today. Additionally, I completely agree with your viewpoint. I can never understand the motivation by tweeting out support during some tragic event. It doesn't seem like it will help the situation. We should all be doing something abut it instead of tweeting. Also, I think that the use of social media may be a contributing factor to the decrease in empathy.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your thoughts in those opening paragraphs! Your line at the end of your first paragraph about "what should I tweet" really resonated with me. I'm honestly not entirely sure how I feel about it, but it does seem strange to think we've sort of reached such a point in society (not that it's inherently bad though). I do remember not knowing exactly how to feel after Paris, and while I don't really use social media, I did feel obligated to say something and make it genuine. You once again delivered a fresh and engaging perspective on a topic I thought I had already heard everything about, so props to you.
ReplyDeleteI remember seeing nothing but the red, white, and blue tinted profile pictures on my Facebook newsfeed for a while after the Paris attacks, and wondering if people changing their profile pictures really meant anything at all. You brought up lots of valid points in this post, and it's interesting how studies have shown that empathetic characteristics have dropped, and that this drop may be linked to technology use.
ReplyDeleteSocial media gives an outlet for people who want to feel like they've done something, without actually doing anything. No, your like and share on the news story doesn't really do anything. That being said, there is a lot you can do on the internet that does help situations, even if it is increasing awareness and empathy for a disaster.
ReplyDeleteI found that I related to this post a lot, because a lot of your feelings on the issue mimic mine. You highlighted both the negative and positive effects technology has on us, especially when it comes to these events. I also enjoy the high note you left this post, because technology is ours to control and we can do (and have done) great things with it
ReplyDeleteLike a lot of the people commenting above,I agree with a lot of what you are saying. Also, I'm not that surprised that people are less empathic online. So much of empathy is triggered by physical cues that evolved with us as a species. However, just as you stated, I don't think this means we should turn away from information technology. Even if we are less empathic about some disaster that happened far away, we are definitely more empathic than if we had never heard about it at all.
ReplyDeleteIt's always tough to balance the use of new technology, such as social media. The benefits are clear - connectedness, accessibility, and information. However, over-stimulation, like you mentioned can have disastrous impacts, like impairing our ability to form valuable personal connections or interact face-to-face. To respond to your initial quagmire about responding to terror, I feel somewhat similarly. I find it offensive when people feel the need to respond in some way when their actions are insincere or uninformed. I don't know much about the issue, so I don't say anything or do much online other than try and learn more. Conversely, I know plenty of people who jump at the idea to add a French flag to their profile picture or post a long-winded rant against the global climate. But, I digress from my rant.
ReplyDeleteI feel that the constant exposure to media reports on the atrocities of the world has desensitized people much in the manner watching violent movies or playing violent video games has. And in the cases where this isn't true, I believe that a sense of powerlessness may develop. All these bad things are happening and I can't do anything...
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