The world is a crazy place right now. Amidst life on a planet with over 110 armed conflicts, including the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas wars, civil war in Sudan and Myanmar and gang anarchy in Haiti, the American public has become incredibly desensitized to the unthinkable violence happening across the world.

Upon being informed that it will have been a year since the beginning of the current Israel-Hamas war as of Monday, Oct. 7 and that the Russian invasion of Ukraine occurred almost three years ago, most people are quite surprised. Many students are, first, uninformed about these foreign crises and, second, too desensitized from the onslaught of horrible news describing the violence and humanitarian catastrophes involved with these conflicts.

For Americans, and especially for SPA students and families who have the resources available to stay informed and spread awareness, it is their responsibility to be a good global citizen and do so. However, the desensitization of war and other ongoing negative current events presents a challenge to effectively staying informed and taking action. First off, what is desensitization and why can it be harmful?

Desensitization is that numb feeling that comes with an overexposure to violence in the media. It’s a feeling of hopelessness and lack of care that limits the ability to sympathize and take action. This overexposure often derives from too much time spent checking in with the news. When news about global conflicts is just a fingertip away on social media, it is easier than ever to become desensitized.

According to a study on the psychological effects of violence in the media conducted by Joanne Cantor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, “desensitization refers to the reduced emotional response and sensitivity toward violence, leading to decreased arousal, intervention tendencies, and sympathy for victims.”

Arousal, intervention tendencies and sympathy for victims are all crucial parts of the human psychological response to violence. They are what drive people to contribute, to stand up for what’s right and denounce what’s wrong. For these reasons, it is critical to try to fight desensitization, continue to care about current events and to feel the outrage and the sadness that comes with being in-the-know during 2024.

One important way to fight desensitization is actually to take time to reset. Stay off social media and the news for a few days, and focus on yourself. By taking care of your own mental health needs in the short term, you heighten your ability to sustain the key responsibilities of global citizenry in the long term.

Another strategy can be designating specific times to check in on the news. Maybe this means watching the news every morning or having a chat with a parent about what’s going on in the world on the car ride to school. What it shouldn’t mean is anxiously looking at news updates on social media every 10 minutes, which will probably lead to becoming desensitized, or never staying up to date. Striking a middle ground is essential in avoiding desensitization and staying informed on important global issues.

Being desensitized is not something to be ashamed of; it is a natural response that many people are feeling right now, especially in relation to the Israel-Hamas war. Understand that you’re not alone and that this feeling of numbness permeates the minds of many others at school and around the world.

By taking active steps against desensitization, we allow ourselves to stay informed, feel the feels, and take whatever action we can in support of victims of war and violence.