Empathy, Technology, and Social Media with Kaitlin Ugolik Phillips

Technology over the last decade has dramatically changed consumer psychology, social media, and branding. On a human-to-human level, it has had an equally significant impact on how we communicate, think, and behave but relatively less work has examined how all of this has made us feel.

In order to better understand how human connection is being shaped by emerging technology, we couldn’t think of anyone better to talk to than Kaitlin Ugolik Phillips. Kaitlin is a writer and editor and has closely examined the impact of technology on our daily lives. She is the author of The Future of Feeling: Building Empathy in a Tech-Obsessed World.

Your book points out that technology, while connecting us to more people than ever before, also presents challenges for deep human connection and empathy. What would you say is the most significant challenge to empathy that technology presents?

The most obvious answer is the fact that technology - particularly social technology - physically separates us from the people we’re communicating with. But I think it goes deeper than that - I think the psychological distance, and in some cases isolation, that comes with constant use of social technology has the potential to erode our empathy both while using those apps and while out in the world. All experiences are “flattened” on a social network like Instagram, for example, where varying individual experiences all get the same visual and algorithmic treatment. In this environment it can be easy to slip into jealous, judgmental and otherwise un-empathetic thought patterns toward others, forgetting that we all contain multitudes that can’t be seen in full via social media posts. Next thing you know, it might feel normal to, for example, take a photo of a stranger doing or wearing something you find post-worthy, edging out empathy for what they might be experiencing as a fellow human.

When it comes to technology usage which doesn’t diminish our empathy for others, can you recommend any best practices? Are there ways in which we can use technology that can actually enhance empathetic connection?

My current view is that the most empathetic way to use social technology is to limit its use and use it more intentionally, avoiding getting sucked into isolated ways of thinking as described above.

Acknowledging how difficult that is, however, I would say best practices include things like: mindful commenting, in which you stop yourself before replying to a post or another comment to make sure you’ve considered how the other person might experience what you say, and the fact that you may not be able to understand/agree with that experience; following people and accounts that bring out the best in you and unfollowing or muting those that put you in a less empathetic state of mind; and being as informed as possible about the goals, motivations, and strategies behind the technology you’re using and the way it impacts and interacts with its users (ie, how easy or hard is it to report abuse? How do leaders respond when abuse/other issues arise? Is the tech aimed at teaching you something or connecting you with others, or is it more about keeping you hooked?).

I do think we can use technology to enhance empathic connection in a few ways. There are some products created with expressly that purpose (perspective-taking virtual reality experiences, for example), but we can also curate our experiences with other products to be more conducive to empathy-building. Following a lot of people who are unlike you or have different backgrounds or interests is one way to do this; being part of well-moderated online communities on platforms like Facebook and Reddit can also help foster real connection via technology.

Between “fake news” accusations, and massive layoffs across the industry, it seems like it’s been a difficult last few years for journalism. What do you think the future holds?

Whew, I really wish I knew! In all seriousness, my hopes for the future of journalism include more publicly funded media and more transparency among journalists toward their audiences about how the job is done. I’ve noticed some major newspapers doing this more - including a few lines beneath the byline about what kind of reporting was done to get to the story below. It’s a small thing, but I think it might go a long way toward building trust and accountability. If we can keep that up, and find resources for more local journalism, I think we can have more of an “ethic of empathy” in the profession, as professor Janet Blank-Libra calls it.

I think we tend to forget that “objectivity” as we know it today was not part of the founding ethos of journalism in this country, and I am hopeful that we’re starting to move away from this belief that reporters must pretend to be feeling and experience free, while holding onto the more useful ethical tenets of independence and truthfulness. On that topic, I highly recommend the book The View From Somewhere by Lewis Raven Wallace.

A lot has been made about how clinical psychology is being shaped by the utilization of emerging technologies such as AI chatbots, and virtual reality. Do these applications show promise? Do these applications carry drawbacks, limitations, or unintended consequences?

With the caveat that my experience with clinical psychology is only in reading and writing about it: I have seen evidence that there is real promise with some of these technologies, but outcomes depend a lot on the environment in which they’re used, and on the user’s experience and temperament before they use them. AI chatbots seem particularly effective in directing people to real-life resources. AI “therapists” like one tested by the VA to test veterans for symptoms of mental distress seem to get people to open up in a way that a human therapist does not, but the technology and the ethics around it are still evolving. The biggest limitations with VR are still its expense, and the dearth of content that’s been created (though both are changing).

What would be the one piece of advice you would have for young people who are interested in a career in journalism and science writing?

Read, read, read, and not just what you think you are “supposed” to be reading, but what you are really interested in, however small or silly it may seem. Trust your gut: chances are, if you have an interest or a question, many others feel the same way and will be excited to read about it. And don’t fall into the trap of believing that you can only be legitimate by publishing in certain places - as discussed above, it’s a tough time for journalism and the traditional jobs largely don’t exist anymore, so find a niche and a market that works for you and focus on doing the work.

Photo by Aaron Sebastian via UnSplash