Empathy is defined as the ability to react to or anticipate the emotions of others. In a time where people’s attitudes and actions are so visibly driven by hate rather than compassion, empathy has become an increasingly scarce and valuable skill. In the development of thehuman race, empathy has been essential in maintaining positive interactions – but with the advent of technology, individuals are beginning to lose their capacity to empathize.
In her 2014 essay “Rethinking Technology’s Impact on Empathy” Rachel Bonnette, a graduate student at Loyola University Chicago, cited social media as a significant contributor to narcissism and isolation. Referencing information from a recent study conducted by University of Michigan Researchers Sara H. Konrath, Edward O’Brien and Courtney Hsing, Bonnette describes how “less than 25% of the test subjects rated themselves as being as empathetic as subjects thirty years prior.” By surveying individuals using the structure of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index, a system used for evaluating dispositional empathy, researchers were able to identify the falling trend in empathic tendencies.
The survey itself consisted of 28 questions evaluated on a five-point scale ranging from “Does not describe me well” to “Describes me very well.” The study evaluates people on four subscales: Perspective Taking, or the ability to internalize the viewpoint of others, Fantasy, which marks a person’s ability to relate to fictional characters, Empathic Concern, or sympathy for the suffering of others, and finally Personal Distress, which includes feelings of personal anxiety and unease. Analysis of the survey revealed the largest drop in Perspective Taking Empathy, which researchers linked to increasing levels of narcissism triggered by the focus on self promoted by social media. Moreover, the study found that while millennials expressed empathy as one of their core values, their actions reflected a preference for self oriented activity.
In her essay, Bonnette details how the pressure to construct a flawless self image on social media platforms limits the ability for people to engage in authentic connection. Additionally, the rise in communication via the internet correlates with lessening face to face interaction. Bonnette writes that “today’s youth have a diminished capacity for real-time conversations and understanding body language, facial expressions, and the mindsets of others.” By replacing faces with screens and detaching individuals from those with whom they are communicating, Bonnette and many other researchers believe that technology is facilitating the destruction of empathic response.
Although apps such as Facetime and Skype mitigate the loss of visual communication, they fail to replicate the authenticity face-to-face interactions inspire. Because individuals can now rely upon their phone for communication or distraction, there is no longer a need to work through uncomfortable encounters; a person can simply disgangage with the conversation and plug into their technology. For example, say you are meeting someone new, perhaps a friendof a friend or a potential romantic partner. If things become awkward and the conversation stalls you no longer have to search for other points of conversation and push through the discomfort, you can simply pull out your phone. Due to this reliance on phones as a social fall back, people are growing increasingly less capable of navigating complex emotional situations.
Furthermore, studies find that the sense of hyperconnectivity provided by the rapid communication of social media eliminates the desire to seek out personal interaction and supersedes it with a sense of apathy orcomplacency. Instead of meeting up with a friend to get coffee and talk about experiences and emotions, individuals can simply text or message one another from the comfort of their home. People replace tangible relationships with those they have made online which only furthers the cycle of isolation and self absorption.
However, there are those who believe that when used correctly, technology can actually serve to expand our sphere of empathy. In his 2010 TED talk Empathic Civilization, Jeremy Rifkin, an American economist and social theorist, described how he believes technology can be put to empathic use. Rifkin states that neurologically, humans are soft wired with an empathic drive. Our compassion for others is only limited by our sphere of connection. He claims that as globalization has increased, humanity has detribalized and grown to empathize with distant groups that they once considered as enemies. He says that technology can be seen simply as a means to expand our empathy to a global scale. Contrary to the common anti-technology stance, Rifkin figures that social media has the capacity to make visible the suffering of others and ultimately generate a network of support unbounded by physical proximity.
Developing empathy is an essential value driving Lick-Wilmerding’s curriculum and is incorporated into virtually every academic department. There is a special focus placed on teaching about empathy in the psychology class: Brain and Behavior, lead by teachers Anton Krukowski and Carrie Maslow. When asked about how he first became interested in the topic, Krukowski explained, “I had thought a lot about empathy over the years, particularly when I switched from scientific research to teaching. I feel like empathy is a skill, and arguably the most important element education and I think science is really about enhancing empathy as well; we develop a shared narrative about the world and universe around us, so we can feel connected to it.”
Krukowski also noted how Rifkin’s speech pushed him to learn more about the relationship between empathy and technology. “I really appreciate the optimistic message that humans are born to be empathic creatures who thirst for connection and found technology’s role in that process of expanding our empathic circle intriguing, particularly in the context of those who argue the opposite,” says Krukowski. He finds the connection between empathy and technology to be an increasingly relevant topic, especially since Lick has made the switch to requiring every student to utilize their own laptop. He firmly believes in the value of talking about the role of technology in our lives, stating that, “The tension with technology is intriguing to teach because there is a constant generation gap in the thinking about what technology does to our ability to connect to each other. Each generation complains about the latest technology, and how it is going to rip us apart; the thinking is always shifting.”
The students who participated in the Brain and Behavior unit on empathy and technology seem to have some common themes in their thinking on the subject. Sophia DiSabato ’19 was also deeply influenced by Rifkin’s thinking, saying, “I think that technology has a positive influence on empathy because it allows people to connect with people across great distances. For example, I think that social media has allowed large scale social movements to take place over a shorter time frame because information can reach more people so quickly. It really creates an opportunity for more people’s voices to be heard across the planet.” Although DiSabato sees the empathic value in technology, she also has doubts about how young children engage with screens. “I think younger generations are more reliant on technology than we were as children. In restaurants, I always see two and three year olds on iPads with headphones playing games or watching TV. These children growing up with technology aren’t obligated to develop the creative skills they will need to entertain themselves or hold conversations with adults. Their attachment to their phones earlier in their childhood could delay the development of other social skills later in life,” says Disabato.
Annika Sigfstead ’18, another member of the class, expressed a similar sentiment; “Parents are using technology as a substitute for having to interact or deal with their kids which is a really big problem. For example, when my cousin is upset his parents just give him screen time which I think teaches him to rely on screens for comfort. That just doesn’t seem healthy at all.” Sigfstead further highlighted the emotional damage that can be caused by social media, “As I have grown more confident, technology affects me less. I feel more secure in my relationships so I don’t have to rely on it as much to facilitate my social life or happiness. But if you are in a vulnerable place or feeling lonely or isolated, it can consume all your time and be unhealthy for you to use.”
Another student, Christopher Story ’18 expressed his concerns over the social effects of internet. “I feel that the friendships online are not especially intimate. There is a lot of body language and tone of voice that goes missing. I find that when I am on my phone, I am not engaged with those around me and when I put it down, I’m out of practice with what being engaged is so my social cues are not as on point,” says Story. He fears that technology is too saturated with negative emotion to have any positive impact. Story states how “technology lets me know about the pure number of people who are sad and dissatisfied, which on the one hand makes me feel less isolated because I know every teenager is sad at some point, but on the other hand I think it is toxic. The framework online to express positive emotion just simply isn’t there.”
In a time filled with so much violence and negativity, it is important to remember to exercise compassion and tolerance. As expressed by the voices of these students, there is a time and a place for technology, but it can never replace genuine human interaction. As a collective we need to actively seek out connection with others, but what this looks like can vary depending on the individual. Everyone does not have to utterly abandon all forms of technology. Small changes – like not looking at your phone during dinner or setting aside 15 minutes a week to chat with a friend – can make a big impact. Instead of using technology to avoid interactions, we should use technology to augment the ways we interact with one another. By interweaving technology and empathy, we can preserve our ability to generate positive and lasting relationships in the years to come.
