Desensitized in a World of Connection

    In the contemporary world of global connection and a constant flow of news and information, we have seen in real time the drastic desensitizing effects of overconnection within society. We have seen this through the variety of issues brought up by the Trump administration, as border walls appear to have no meaning, devastating natural disasters occur routinely, and generative AI’s impending doom seems to make no difference socially. Throughout America, we have seen the lack of care for global issues, as crises always seem larger than our individual selves, promoting actionless responses from a significant percentage of the population. While small action projects exist and are combating each of these struggles, it’s because of social media and the ability to quickly scroll away from stressful realities that people feel no need to participate or engage with political action and harm mitigation.

    As Trump's construction of the American-Mexican border wall continues to tear through habitats, national parks, and unmarked borders, we do see action being taken. Movements to protect Big Bend National Park and advocate for the well-being of native wildlife and other minorities flood social media feeds when these issues are pertinent. However, with just one click, the injustice and pain disappear, and the simplicity of swiping away allows for a veil of ignorance and forgetfulness. When we turn a blind eye to this issue, we cannot acknowledge or understand the complexity of the border wall and its service as more than just a physical division, but as a technology of occupation. By disrupting the environment on a social, political, and physical level, Trump’s border wall is doing more than just separating two nations. In the article Walls as Technologies of Government, Samer Alatout discusses the regime behind the Israeli-Palestinian border wall, arguing that its discipline takes the form of disciplinary force. In discussing the walls regime, Alatout highlights four main points:

1. The settlement expansion as a permanent activity
2. Occupation as a regime of the government
3. Security of Israel's state expanded to include the security of settlements and their environment
4. The prohibition of Palestinians from using the majority of the West Bank

    Though this context is extremely different, as Israel and Palestine have been in tension and at war for over 30 years, there is still a foundational truth that could apply to America. By violating space, the border wall emphasizes illegality as a marker for state intervention and control over where bodies are allowed, as discussed in Samer Alatout’s writing.

    This issue might be felt the most through individual experiences with violence, natural disasters, and poverty, as social media is used as a resource for assistance and forms of aid. When scrolling through Instagram, there are often interruptions about hunger and indigence in Palestine, devastating hurricanes coming to the Caribbean, and political and climate activism that seems just out of reach. We are incredibly informed about contemporary issues and actions being taken, yet a degree of separation exists through the phone. In Rashad Shabazz’s speech Why Geography Matters in the Struggle for Racial Justice, he talks about the Black Freedom Movement and its unique interaction with geography. Shabazz discusses how abstract concepts were tangible within the freedom movement because of the spatial organization of black people. As racism became a geographic issue in America and families were restricted in what spaces their bodies were allowed into, actions for social justice attempted to combat the techniques and mechanisms of constraint and immobilization. This spatial organizing made it easier to conceptualize such large and systemic struggles. During the 50s and 60s, when the Black Freedom Movement was at its height, the relationship between American citizens and social justice looked different than it does today. Simply comparing it to the Black Lives Matter Movement of the 21st century, we see the difference in the digital routes that it takes and its relevance in time, founded in 2013 and most prevalent in 2016. Contemporarily, awareness does not always translate into empathy and initiative. If anything, overconsuming political and climate updates creates desensitization and even emotional blunting to global issues and their impact.

    This is also seen clearly with the rise of OpenAI and its drastic daily improvements. Recently, Dario Amodei, the chief executive of Anthropic—an AI safety and research company—advised for a global slowdown of AI growth due to his personal fear and experience that research will become unsafe. Recently, in an AI study, it was revealed that a generative AI was asked a question and told not to access any databases, but did so regardless. There have been a variety of instances such as this one, where OpenAI has enacted security breaches without human knowledge. This fact opens doors to widespread anxieties about the purpose of generative AI, and its role in society and government systems.

    This extremely frightening insight was published in the New York Times and other major journalism outlets for the world to see and learn about. However, where was the responsive outcry? Just another AI article; the response to this warning was seemingly minimal. While Congress stirs and our President and his family remain major investors in the AI market—with millions in tech and AI trades—we are experiencing firsthand the strain between capitalist investors' economic interests and the individual security of civilians. While it has been known whose interests politicians fight for, issues such as this one should serve as encouragement for individuals to fight for their own protections.

    As we witness these real-life struggles and disasters unfold, it is important to acknowledge and realize the crucial role that privilege and human rights play within geography and social justice. Discussed in the article Spatial Justice: A Frame for Reclaiming our Rights to be, Thrive, Express and Connect, Kenneth Bailey, Lori Lobenstine, and Kiara Nagel acknowledge these roles through a 3 spatial frameworks:

1. Spatial claims: the right to be and become
2. Spatial power: the right to thrive and express
3. Spatial links: the right to access and connect

    When we consider these rights within the overall issue of inaction, desensitization, and emotional blunting, it is crucial to acknowledge and understand that the ability and choice to keep scrolling is because of our social place in the world. The choice to scroll online is an ability we have because we live in a community not directly affected by the Palestinian war, not in the danger zone of a life-threatening disaster, and not undergoing drastic uprooting because of the political climate. This veil of ignorance and forgetfulness remains one of the largest privileges we have, and it’s exactly because of that privilege that we must remove it completely.

    Sources:

• • Walls as Technologies of Government - Samer Alatout
  • Why Geography Matters in the Struggle for Racial Justice - Rashad Shabazz
  • Top A.I. Leaders Call for Slowing Down A.I. Development - Mike Isaac
  • Spatial Justice: A Frame for Reclaiming our Rights to be, Thrive, Express and Connect - Bailey and Lobenstine