Social media is a platform which allows users to share all kinds of information easily. Some choose to update people on their families, other upload pictures of their vacations. However, these platforms also allow us to voice our opinions, write stuff that may be false, and can easily become a way for people to spread anger and sadness. We often complain that social media has created this new environment that we live in today, one where people are cold and less kind, where the hustle and bustle of life have us forgetting to say things like, “Thank you.” Social media does not force us to do anything, it simply provides an opportunity for us to communicate, much like books or television. Ultimately, we are the things that spread these messages, we are the ones that decide what to share, and we are responsible for all the damage done by social media.
As many have discussed the impacts of social media on society, there have been many studies performed on the actual impacts it has. Dr. Sara Kornath teaches as a professor of philanthropy, having a degree in social psychology. As such, she has explored societies decline in empathy, and looked at factors such as social media, and she has found an interesting correlation.
“There's a lot of research, including our own that finds a correlation between narcissism and social media usage, but I don't necessarily think that means that social media use causes increased narcissism. The studies that have tracked people over time find if anything, it's the other way around, that narcissistic people are just attracted to use social media because...
It can be used to fit their aims, which is to get a lot of attention. I did present that work, it's still unpublished, but finding that empathy is correlated with less social media use. Since then, a mini meta-analysis came out with five different studies examining that link between empathy and social media. Interestingly, it actually found that there's a small positive correlation. More empathetic people are using social media on average, a little bit more.”
Dr. Kornath has shown that the issues with social media are not due to the existence of these platforms themselves, but it is the human component which has allowed these platforms to become what we believe as the biggest problem in our society. How can we fix this problem?
In the camp world, we are no strangers to these empathetic practices, in fact, we would like to consider it the norm. Day camps, overnight camps, all seem to have these lessons at the forefront of their teaching, with what little teaching they do. Good counselors lead by example, they are kind and courteous to each and every person they interact with. From this, the campers then learn the appropriate behavior from a role model, making them want to have similar behavior to that of the counselor. They begin to greet people more, they begin using their manners more, they just generally become more empathetic. One could say that kindness builds kindness, which has long-term positive impacts. How can we measure these changes? Often, campers do not want to leave camp. While some may believe that it is because they will miss all of the fun things of camp, the usual reason campers never want to leave is because of their friendships. The bonds they forge at camp are so incredibly strong, transcending time and the space between us, and that is likely to do with the empathetic practices of camp. Why would anyone want to leave a summer paradise where everyone is kind all of the time? Some adults are lucky enough to be a part of camp life, and they often feel the same things that campers do. A place that is unlike college or work, where every single person you see is kind every day of the week. Why can our society at large put this into practice themselves?
Before camp every summer, our staff sits down and reads a poem called “If Only the World Were More Like Camp.” The message of the poem is that camp creates an atmosphere of love and empathy, and that if the world were more like it, our lives would be much better off. Maybe, social media just needs a little bit more camp energy, where we talk lovingly to one another, of excitement for new adventures of your friends, or maybe the simple “Happy Birthday” to an old friend you have not seen in a while. We have to relearn and reteach ourselves and our society how to be kind by being kind first. If kindness truly does build kindness, who better to start building that kindness than ourselves? Make the world more like camp, care about the people that are important to you, and treat those you do not know with respect and a smile. The best cure to a bad day is making someone smile, so instead of spreading anger, spread love. Show your children, your peers, anyone, the positive impacts of empathy and kindness. If kindness can build kindness, then hate can surely build hate. Decide what you would rather build, a world full of impersonal narcissists, or one full of joy and love. Be the change you wish to see, become kinder, and the world around you will follow.
Sources:
Speaking of Psychology: The Decline of Empathy and the Rise of Narcissism. Dec. 2019, www.apa.org/research/action/speaking-of-psychology/empathy-narcissism.
