Some religions can rob people of a measure of their empathy. If members view outsiders and ex-members as condemned to Hell or future bird food, how is it possible to have a healthy measure of empathy for them?
Is the Internet killing our sense of EMPATHY?
by brotherdan 21 Replies latest jw friends
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brotherdan
True. I always thought I had empathy for people, but looking back when I was a JW I only had empathy for other JWs. The "worldlings" were getting what they deserved. What a $h1tty attitude!
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sabastious
On the contrary, the internet has refined my empathy.
-Sab
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brotherdan
Interesting, Sab...makes sense. I guess you get to see that there are a lot of people that are going through a lot of hard times...more than you would have realized without the internet.
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jay88
That was horrific BD,...I did not know that footage like that was allowed on ytube.
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Ding
This forum is a good example of how the internet can provide opportunities for empathy.
You find out what a lot of people are going through that you wouldn't have known about otherwise.
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sabastious
This forum is a good example of how the internet can provide opportunities for empathy.
The opportunities are plentiful inside and outside the internet. A lot of people talk about the anonymity of the internet as a malevolent force, but this forum is a good example of the beneficial, as well as the detrimental, effects of internet anonymity.
-Sab
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sabastious
Interesting, Sab...makes sense. I guess you get to see that there are a lot of people that are going through a lot of hard times...more than you would have realized without the internet.
Precisely!
-Sab
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jgnat
Consider the new possibilities of the internet, which is near to impossible to duplicate in the flesh. Swarming, for instance. A hundred posters can gang up on a despised discussion board member in minutes. This can be pretty darn ugly, or it can spur a major social change (i.e. Egypt).
The perceived sense of anonymity led to "players" who carry one persona on the internet, and a completely different personality in RL. In fact, the internet is notorious for tracking back to the real you, and for also caching everything you have ever committed to the internet. I've read that for the first time there is more about the average person on the internet than they can contribute in a lifetime. Our lives ain't so secret any more.
My guess is that people wake up to the transparency of the internet and the import of their words for their lifetime, that people will learn to choose their words (and opinions) more carefully.
I do worry that this next generation won't be able to read facial expression as well as their elders. Will this lead to more social awkwardness?
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Broken Promises
I'm now wondering what a "faces of death" video is!