Facing the reality of media desensitization
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“Trump promised the MAGA base no new wars. Then he went to war with Iran.”
“DOJ admits 47,635 Epstein files — including Trump allegations — were removed.”
“Minnesota investigators continue probe into north Minneapolis ICE shooting.”
These are three headlines from the past week, coming from NPR, The New York Times, and MPR. And tomorrow, the story will change, and eight more media sources will have covered the topic in a different way and perspective.
We are constantly absorbing new information about the world, but by the time we can really understand it, we are on to the next big thing, the newest discovery or breaking news. Because of this, we become desensitized to the media. We roll our eyes when another breaking headline about Trump’s behavior surfaces; we aren’t really that surprised when bad things happen, because it has just become the norm.
Sensitive incidents are being overlooked and undermined by the uprise in mockery, parody and desensitized reactions.
The exploitation and abuse of young women in the Epstein files have become a collection of memes and TikTok edits using AI and tasteless audio. Posts about the ICE raids become reposts of jokes, not considering the lives affected. Videos of bombs dropping in Iran are passed around, with light chuckles of “you are going to get drafted.” We are extremely desensitized — tragedy is becoming entertainment.
Affairs such as the Epstein Files, ICE brutality and war devastation have been diminished in meaning on social media platforms among the younger audience. Social media’s influence on these topics has become overbearing and takes away from the severe reality of these events.
Though these reactions may be evoked due to the profoundly persistent flow of these events resulting in feelings of numbness and normality.
It’s not that people don’t care anymore. It’s that we don’t seem to feel the weight of these tragedies anymore.
In our information environment today, where news stories break every hour, and public outrage has become our new norm, it is hard to stay conscious. It is common to adapt; we scroll, we joke, we detach.
Being informed has become passive. Awareness is measured by how quickly we consume headlines rather than by how deeply we engage with them — nobody cares to read the whole story anymore. When everything feels equally shocking, nothing truly shocks us. When every crisis is reduced to a meme, empathy becomes absent.
How can we challenge this? How can we change our mindset about the media and educate ourselves on the current events of the world? We can’t float by life without knowing what is happening around us.
As college students, we have meaningful conversations about these news stories in classes, but outside of classes does this all become background noise? We share reels, TikTok’s and have debates in comment sections, but is that really considered staying informed?
We should start reading past headlines, how we consume news matters. Instead of scrolling past the video and believing it is true, we should seek out reliable sources whether that means learning about the stories from Jeffrey Epstein’s victims or the families that are being affected by immigration enforcement.
In addition to this, we should consciously make the decision to stop making sarcastic or crude comments, but sit down and talk about the events, and what they mean for us.
In a community like CSB+SJU where deeper conversation and analysis are encouraged, we should use it. Simply having conversations with those around us can help us become more emotionally engaged in our information environment.
It’s not just about staying informed. It’s refusing to let constant exposure minimize your reaction and deciding to lead with empathy and human dignity in the wake of tragedy and hardship.