Once the videos are displayed, you cannot check them.
Conservative political speaker Charlie Kirk was shot dead on college campus on Wednesday, September 10th. Later last month, Ukrainian refugee Irina Zaltoska was fatally stabbed on a North Carolina train. Graphic videos of both atrocities have spread quickly and widely online this week, appearing on people’s social media feeds, and in many cases there are few warnings.
Unfortunately, facing a terrifying and frightening image has become a risk you might expect when logging in to social media. However, mental health and media experts say the spread of violent videos online can have a deep negative impact on our minds and there is no need to look at material like this to inform or empathize with the victims.
“I don’t think I have any responsibility to witness any instances of violence,” therapist Eric Anderson previously told USA Today. “People need to be responsible for understanding what causes them and what they can tolerate.”
Charlie Kirk, Iryna Zarutska and when violent videos go viral
Kirk, co-founder of Turning Point USA, was fatally shot during an event at Utah Valley University, which the governor described as a “political assassination.” A livestream video of the event showed a crowd of people running from the university courtyard where the 31-year-old was talking to when the shooting occurred. Earlier this week, North Carolina transport officials released a graphic video showing 23-year-old Zaltoska fatally stab wounds on a light rail train.
Mental health counselor Katherine Deltoro explained that violent videos and images could hurt her mental health.
“I think it’s very important for people to pay attention to their feelings,” she previously told USA Today. “It’s very normal to feel shocked, anxious, saddened, and sick of it, and they’re all very normal emotions.”
Witnessing violence can be extremely painful, so Dello said he would urge extreme caution before seeing violent footage or not watching at all.
“We need to be very conscious and aware of how these videos affect us,” Dello said. “There are times when we really don’t know how much it affects us until we see it.”
It’s okay to set boundaries on social media and news
It is important to provide information. But that doesn’t mean you have to witness in detail the horrifying acts of violence.
If you choose to testify, be careful to make sure you are not growing numbness in what you are seeing.
“Repeat posting of graphic images can lead to desensitization and dehumanization that is paralyzed by what people are seeing.
It’s okay if you’re a news addict, or take a break from social media. Kristen Harrison, a well-known professor of Richard Cole at the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media, suggested that turning off notifications on social media and news apps can help you set boundaries in the news cycle.
If you want to share the news, do so with caution, Harrison added. Instead of sharing sensitive content itself, she recommends putting links to articles and videos in captions or comments so that followers can opt in if they want to see more.
Contributions: Leora Arnowitz, David Oliver, Nicole Farret, Melissa Galbraith Nder Yancey Bragg, Joey Garrison, Josh Meyer, Aisha Baguch, Dina Voyles Palber, Bert Jansen, Swapna Venugal Lamaswamy, Michael Loria
