How many articles about detrimental AI usage have you seen in the news lately? How many articles about murder, theft or other crimes have you seen? Now think outside of articles, and look at how many Instagram reels and TikTok videos you have watched about current events recently. The same can be said for students and teachers selecting essay and lesson topics. Content begins to blur together and become just another thought in our minds.
We try to keep ourselves in the loop by consuming this media, but how much is too much? There is a certain point at which we start to become numb to the emotions that articles are supposed to stir up within us. Who can read numerous stories about the same moral issues over and over without eventually burning out and feeling robotic when reading them? Sometimes, we reach that point without even realizing we are there.
We can often read about the most horrific crimes known to man and hardly flinch. We can also read about how technology in the hands of power will eventually ruin our world and think “Well, it is what it is,” and move on with the day. It feels at times as though this must be a problem of empathy, which can be a scary feeling for an average person, but is it really our fault? How many times a day can we be shocked, intrigued or dumbfounded by statements we see online and in the media?
What can be done to fix this numbness? Perhaps we need to take a major step back and come up with our own thoughts for a while. Maybe this constant flow of repetitive media is doing exactly what it is supposed to do and numbing us so when bad becomes worse, we don’t feel a sudden blow.
What kinds of things do you feel numb to when reading the news, and how do you manage to trigger your empathy again? It’s crucial that we stay awake, alert and able to feel, even in the time of such a constant, negative flow of news.
