In memory of nuance and her dear friend, empathy

The Internet has become a graveyard, the place where most of us mindlessly venture off into and lose critical pieces of ourselves. Not necessarily a purposeful killing, but a hotbed beacon where vital facets of human behavior seem to rot and decay, disappearing with a swipe of the screen or a refresh of the page. People have lost their pride on the Internet, their respect, and their self-esteem. Have you seen my good friend, empathy? She was last seen traversing across the comment sections and discussion threads. The Internet is not a killing machine, but rather a hypnotist. We have forsaken much of what makes us human, much of our intelligence and consciousness because of it, and we are only now beginning to snap out of this daze. Our phones, our laptops, our tablets, social media: where nuance goes to die. 

When we were kids, in all the books, shows, and movies we consumed, there was a clear distinction between the hero and the villain, because there had to be. Without the black and white depiction of the protagonist and the foe, it would have been more difficult to pinpoint who exactly we were supposed to root for. As adults, we are expected to hold some ounce of critical thinking, understanding that not all heroes are acting out for the greater good, and not all adversaries are evil. We aren’t, and should not, be spoon-fed the meaning behind everything. That’s the beauty of personal interpretation; we are shaped by our experiences, and inherently, these experiences affect how we think, how we perceive, and how we behave differently from others. It’s a shame that the usage of social media, of technology, has begun to weaken our ability to distinguish depth, to peel back layers without taking everything at face value.

Our rapid consumption of not just material goods, but media, the constant influx of news, has seemed to short-circuit our brains to only be able to digest bite-sized pieces of information, diluting our ability to critically interpret, think, and reflect on what we have just consumed. Now, I’m not claiming that nuance does not exist at all anymore, but rather that it seems like nuance does not exist on the Internet. Let’s be real; nuance does not trend. For people who make short-form content, you have a three-second window to capture someone’s attention and to keep someone’s attention. That’s why we see so many videos that speak in absolutes, that hyperbolize an experience or an object. Nuance won’t get you the clicks and engagements on your videos. Nuance won’t make you any money. 

I hate to say it, but it’s almost as if everything boils down to financial gain. To monetary means. To capitalism. Nowadays, you can’t form an opinion on something without having to be 100% in support or against it. Finding a middle ground and expressing that is practically impossible. Discourse surrounding almost anything online has flattened concepts and material and art that is supposed to be three-dimensional into something that is only one-dimensional. It’s no longer about the substance of the subject but rather our reaction to it. Things are either good or bad, moral or immoral, a favorite or a “hate”. There exists only yes’s and no’s, and if you don’t pick a side, the Internet will choose a side for you. Nuance does not give you attention; it does not give you clarity. Antagonism is the best marketing campaign. Think of Sydney Sweeney in the American Eagle ad versus Katseye in the Gap ad. This is a perfect example of how advertising can be promoting something “good” vs. something “bad”, when in reality, all these companies are doing is trying to sell you jeans and make a profit off of your moral intentions. 

I think many of us are stuck between a rock and a hard place, where we want life to be this simple, uncomplicated journey, but we also understand that opinions are multifaceted, and interpretation and gradation do exist, and it would do us harm to not be able to accept that fact. However, the world we live in on the Internet does not always provide us with the space to have these nuanced conversations, and because of it, empathy and sympathy and dying with it. When social media does not feed us content that falls between black and white, we begin to think and behave in a vacuum. We are exposed to millions of people and millions of opinions online every day, exposed to validation that we really don’t need or deserve. We refuse to hear the opposite side on matters that are actually subjective because we are “standing on business”.  

In political conversations, you are immediately shut down when you align yourself with one side, but try to sympathize with arguments from the opposing side. The death of nuance has caused people to think and behave in absolutes. Someone may see a Starbucks cup in your trash can and immediately jump to the conclusion that: oh, you bought Starbucks, a corporation that helps to fund genocide in Palestine, therefore you must be pro-Israel and love murdering babies. When in reality, maybe your mom got it for you because she had a gift card and isn’t as tuned into these debates online as you are. Maybe to your mom, she was just getting you a cup of coffee, not taking a political stance on current events. Our incessant need to prove that we are morally superior to others has led us to disregard each other’s humanity, each other’s fallibility, shutting down any chance at open dialogue. 

Combatting this issue is not easy. You are working against a riptide of strangers’ opinions and stubbornness. The divide of humanity seems to be growing by the day, catalyzed by social media and the Internet. There is contention with every subject that enters the media zeitgeist, from jeans to water bottles to books to personal identity to abortion. Stubbornness, one-dimensional takes, are placed on the frontlines. Our arguments are only fuel to the fire, and in seconds, they can be forgotten in favor of the next piece of news. The cycle will continue to churn unless we do something about it. Unless we actively fight back, nuance and empathy will forever hold their peace. It is our job to immortalize our multifacetedness, deliberately reject our staunch behaviors of obstinacy, and to allow our minds to flourish once again.