The role of social media in shaping solidarity and compassion fade: How the death of a child turned apathy into action but distress took it away

E.F. Thomas; N. Cary; L.G.E. Smith; R. Spears; C. McGarty

doi:10.1177/1461444818760819

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The role of social media in shaping solidarity and compassion fade: How the death of a child turned apathy into action but distress took it away

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The role of social media in shaping solidarity and compassion fade: How the death of a child turned apathy into action but distress took it away

E.F. Thomas, N. Cary, L.G.E. Smith, R. Spears and C. McGarty

New Media & Society, Vol.20(10), pp.3778-3798

2018

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444818760819

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Abstract

An image of drowned Syrian toddler, Aylan Kurdi, was popularly shared through social media and this promoted a surge of solidarity with Syrian refugees in September 2015. However, this response was not sustained. We explore the role of social media engagement in the emergence of solidarity and its decline (compassion fade). We collected data when sympathy for refugees was peaking (September 2015), and 1 year later. Latent change score modeling (N = 237) showed that engagement with the image through social media allowed people to form a pro-refugee group consciousness that acted as the proximal predictor of solidarity. However, reductions in the same factors explain the reduced commitment 1 year later. Distress predicted the reductions in social media engagement. The results support the power of social media to ignite world-changing action, but caution that online engagement may dissipate in the face of ongoing challenges.

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Title: The role of social media in shaping solidarity and compassion fade: How the death of a child turned apathy into action but distress took it away
Authors/Creators: E.F. Thomas (Author/Creator) - Flinders University
N. Cary (Author/Creator) - Murdoch University
L.G.E. Smith (Author/Creator) - University of Bath
R. Spears (Author/Creator) - Social Psychology
C. McGarty (Author/Creator) - Western Sydney University
Publication Details: New Media & Society, Vol.20(10), pp.3778-3798
Publisher: SAGE
Identifiers: 991005541409607891
Copyright: © 2018 by SAGE Publications
Murdoch Affiliation: School of Psychology and Exercise Science
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article

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Collaboration types: Domestic collaboration; International collaboration
Citation topics: 6 Social Sciences; 6.73 Social Psychology; 6.73.447 Racial Identity
Web Of Science research areas: Communication
ESI research areas: Social Sciences, general