This week, as part of our unit on altruism, we looked at the Bystander Effect. The Bystander Effect can occur in groups of people when an incident takes place and people don’t respond or try to help, effectively becoming bystanders in the situation. This can occur for a variety of reasons, including diffusion of responsibility, pluralistic ignorance, anonymity, and an analysis of risks vs. costs. However, regardless of the specifics, this effect can result in people being harmed, or even killed, in the case of Kitty Genovese, because people end up unable to act to help them in the situation.
While learning about this effect, I wondered how the bystander effect might relate to our current times. Recently, I’ve seen on social media and in general on the internet that there is quite the divide over this pandemic. While some people are staying inside and trying to abide by the rules of lockdown, others are convinced the virus is a conspiracy, don’t believe it’s as bad as reports say, or think they are immune to it. While this is of course ridiculous, it’s interesting to consider why some people might be convinced the virus is a hoax, while others are equally certain that it is a real threat, and how the bystander effect might play into this.
In the age of social media, the pandemic has kept us physically separated from each other, but we are constantly in contact in a virtual space. As a result, my news feed is clogged with numerous images and posts of celebrities wearing masks and urging people to stay home. Though this kind of environment can help motivate some to stick it out and stay inside, it could give the impression that because so many people are already abiding by the rules, it’s ok if some of us don’t try as much. This diffuses responsibility, especially since it is next to impossible to blame a single person or even a small group of people for spreading the virus. Perhaps this in some way allows people to think that they don’t have to wear gloves or a mask when they go outside, or that it’s ok to get a little closer to others on the street. Because they don’t have to post about those activities on social media and don’t think they will be called out publicly, they are afforded a certain level of anonymity, helping them to justify their lack of action to keep others safe. The analysis of risks vs. costs may also play a role, since those who are older or immunocompromised are unlikely to risk infection or death, while perhaps younger, healthier individuals don’t think the virus can harm them in any significant way.
While it’s hard to map the bystander effect onto this situation in an exact way, I think it’s important to consider how the influx of social media posts and news stories is impacting the way they are behaving in response to the pandemic. Depending on what you read or who you follow, the world can seem like a very different place. This is why it’s important to stay informed and listen to experts, instead of assuming the best or the worst in a situation that is constantly evolving.
socially psyched 