Is Social Media Desensitizing Us? | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Politics and Activism

Is Social Media Desensitizing Us?

The steady decline in compassion is frightening.

12170
Is Social Media Desensitizing Us?
Jay Wennington

A recent study performed by the University of Michigan discovered that college students are 40 percent less empathetic than the students thirty years ago. I don't know how you feel about that, but to me, this data is extremely concerning. This lack of empathy shows that students are less likely to feel affected by mass tragedy or help out a friend in need. The biggest change in empathy seemed to happen in the 2000s with the rise of social media.

How is social media making us less compassionate for others?

Every day the world seems to become more "selfie-centered." Social media trains us to be careless about other people. According to Craig Groeschel in his book "#Struggles," every time we see something about ourselves—especially things perceived as positive—our brain releases dopamine." As we are scrolling through social media, we become more and more obsessed with ourselves and care less and less about others.

Along with becoming more obsessed with ourselves, social media makes us less compassionate for others by replacing relationships instead of enhancing them. Groeschel provides a great example of this in his book "#Struggles." Imagine you're having coffee with a friend and talking with them about your life and they suddenly pull out their to-do list and write a couple of things down and then put it away. Then a few minutes pass and they pull out a book, read a few pages and then put it away. Then, they get up in the middle of you talking, walk to another table and say hello to someone, and then come back and sit down. This is exactly what we do during our personal time with friends every time we pull out our phone just to answer a quick text or check on our other appointments.

Sometimes, we don't even make the time for personal time with friends. Social media allows us to care from a distance -- which isn't really caring at all. Groeschel says "if you say that you care but then don't act on that feeling, it's the same as not caring at all." Social media makes it so easy for us to quickly say "I'm praying for you" or comment "I'm so sorry for your loss," but we need to follow up with that friend and make sure they are doing well. It means so much more to a person when you pray with them or meet up with them when they are going through a rough time instead of messaging them on Facebook.

How is social media desensitizing us to the world around us?

Every time an important cause hits social media, it blows up for a few days and then everyone forgets it ever happened. There is evidence on a correlation between an idea or cause becoming extremely popular and a decline in social compassion. Once we see a cause so many times on social media, we get tired of seeing it and disregard it. We forget that these are real people that are suffering that really do need the help of the community.

Social media also makes all posts look the same, so our brains have trouble differentiating between what is important and what is not. When we scroll through our news feed and see a funny video and then next a post about a school shooting, our brain does not see these posts as different. We have to remind ourselves that some things on social media are real, tragic events that need our attention. Social media displays these things as equal, which over time desensitizes us to the things that really matter.

How can we gain our compassion back?

We need to remember social media's place in our lives. Social media can be an excellent way to share positive information and keep up with what our friends and family are doing, but it should not replace our relationships. Social media allows us to share parts of our lives with other people, but we need to be genuine. Be the person God made you to be, even on social media. Remember that your identity lives in Him, not in who you create online or in how many likes you get.

Our personal interaction with people is so important because that is the way we are going to impact people the most. God asks us to love people the way that He loves us, and that is with compassion. Whenever we see Jesus and the compassion in the Bible we see an immediate call to action. When we see causes on Facebook or a tragedy on Twitter, we need to recognize that those are real people that need serious help. People are not going to come to know Jesus through likes and clicks on social media. People will come to know Him through us showing people love the way that He loves us. As Groeschel puts it, "as Jesus followers we should care more."

From Your Site Articles
Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Adulting

18 Things I Want To Do Now That I'm 18

I'm technically an adult, so I'm legally required to live a little, right?

278
Happy Birthday Cake

For the entirety of my high school career, I was always seen as the goody-two-shoes. I never got in trouble with a teacher, I kept stellar grades, and when I wasn't doing extracurricular activities, I was at home studying. Even when I did go out, it was usually with a bunch of fellow band geeks. The night would end before 11:00 PM and the only controversial activity would be a fight based on who unfairly won a round of Apples-to-Apples when someone else clearly had a better card (I promise I'm not still holding a grudge).

Now that I'm officially an adult, I want to pursue some new things. I want to experience life in a way that I never allowed myself to do prior to entering college. These are the years that I'm supposed to embark on a journey of self-discovery, so what better way to do that than to create a bucket list?

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

10 Life Lessons from Christmas Classics

The holiday classics that shaped my life

144
10 Life Lessons from Christmas Classics
Flickr

The holiday season is full of stress, debt, and forced conversation. While we rush through the month of December, it's important to take a step back and enjoy the moments before they're gone. Most families love to watch Christmas movies, but these beloved films provide more than entertainment. Here are 10 life lessons that I've learned from the holiday classics we watch every year.

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

15 Mind-Bending Riddles

Hopefully they will make you laugh.

198980
 Ilistrated image of the planet and images of questions
StableDiffusion

I've been super busy lately with school work, studying, etc. Besides the fact that I do nothing but AP chemistry and AP economics, I constantly think of stupid questions that are almost impossible to answer. So, maybe you could answer them for me, and if not then we can both wonder what the answers to these 15 questions could be.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

Most Epic Aurora Borealis Photos: October 2024

As if May wasn't enough, a truly spectacular Northern Lights show lit up the sky on Oct. 10, 2024

20133
stunning aurora borealis display over a forest of trees and lake
StableDiffusion

From sea to shining sea, the United States was uniquely positioned for an incredible Aurora Borealis display on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, going into Friday, Oct. 11.

It was the second time this year after an historic geomagnetic storm in May 2024. Those Northern Lights were visible in Europe and North America, just like this latest rendition.

Keep Reading...Show less
 silhouette of a woman on the beach at sunrise
StableDiffusion

Content warning: This article contains descriptions of suicide/suicidal thoughts.

When you are feeling down, please know that there are many reasons to keep living.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments