Empathy has been a focus of study of mine for 2023. Most have probably realized the polarizing effects social media has had on us all, but has the technology also effected our empathy? “Empathy burnout” from social media was not a topic I had considered, but according to the statistics below is effecting a large percentage of our population.
“ A March 2022 survey conducted in the United States found that half of all Gen Z respondents said Facebook was the social media platform that contributed the most to empathy burnout. Overall, Baby boomers and Millennials also cited Facebook as the platform most responsible for a decrease in their empathy levels. Additionally, almost a third of Gen Z respondents reported Twitter as the social network most likely to lead to empathy fatigue, followed by Instagram with 20 percent. In total, three quarter of respondents stated that toxicity and misinformation on social media have decreased their empathy levels.”
– Stacy Jo Dixon (Social platforms leading to empathy fatigue in the U.S. 2022, by generation)
