Trigger (verb): To initiate, actuate, or set off
Trigger (verb): to cause an intense and usually negative emotional reaction in someone
Trigger (verb): To release, activate or cause an explosion by means of a trigger
Trigger (noun): Something that acts as the catalyst in initiating a process or reaction
Triggered. We hear it all the time. “I am triggered.” “Haha she is triggered!” Maybe you even say it. The term “triggered” has become popular in our modern day speech. Take a peek at Urban Dictionary and you will see it defined as “when someone gets offended or gets their feelings hurt, often used in memes to describe feminist, or people with strong victimization.” The following example is given on their site: “lol this ‘feminazi’ is sooo triggered cus I told her to make me a sandwich!! Lol (insert laughing crying emoji here)” Now, I personally have to visit Urban Dictionary more than I would like to admit. I am not as cool as I pretend to be (surprise!) and since teenagers today are always adopting words to make them their own, or coming up with new words entirely, I have a hard time keeping up.
Urban Dictionary doesn’t always get it right. Thankfully, in this case, the Urban Dictionary recognizes “triggered” to be a serious term, and follows up their first definition with something real. Here is their second definition:
- “*Actual definition of triggered* trigger is something that sets off a memory tape or flashback transporting the person back to the event of her/his original trauma. Trauma [can come in] in the form of flashbacks or overwhelming feelings of sadness, anxiety, or panic. The brain forms a connection between a trigger and the feelings with which it is associated, and some triggers are quite innocuous [which means not harmful or offensive]. For example, a person who smelled incense while being [attacked] might have a panic attack when he or she smells incense in a store. Triggers are very personal, and generally people with severe PTSD or/and anxiety can be triggered by everyday things.”
So, while people may use the term in everyday conversation today, the fact is that “triggers” and being “triggered” are in need of some serious attention. It may not surprise you that triggers are real. The world is a complex, often scary, place. No matter where you come from or what your life experience has been, there is a chance you have experienced something which has caused you pain, sadness, anxiety, panic or extreme stress. These life experiences are nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, these life experiences are what make us human. While we are not responsible for what we go through in life, we can take control of how we respond and work through these experiences to make ourselves better humans. It is possible to recognize patterns of behavior that may be negatively impacting your mental health – we call this: identifying your triggers. Once you identify a trigger, you can also take steps to lessen the impact of that trigger on your life. Can you guess which potential trigger we are going to unpack today?
You guessed it: the media.
According to Common Sense Media, teens spend an average of 9 hours per day on social media. This is an average, meaning there are some who spend more than 9 hours, and some who spend less. As a teacher myself, I know that there are many teens who spend upwards of 15 hours on social media during the summer months. Today, many people consume social media to get their news, connect with others, and to simply pass the time mindlessly. Since people spend so much time on it, it should be no surprise that several people have completed studies and published findings on the impact of social media on our brains.
In 2015, a study conducted by Dr. Pam Ramsden from the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Bradford found viewing violent news on social media can cause trauma. “Viewing violent news events via social media,” the study posits, “can cause people to experience symptoms similar to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).”
Dr Ramsden explained: “Social media has enabled violent stories and graphic images to be watched by the public in unedited detail. Watching these events and feeling the anguish (pain) of those directly experiencing them may impact on our daily lives. In this study we wanted to see if people would experience longer lasting effects such as stress and anxiety, and in some cases post-traumatic stress disorders from viewing these images.” Their study found that 22 percent of the study’s participants were “significantly affected by the media events” they viewed in the study, which included school shootings and the 9/11 attack on the Twin Towers. According to the study “These individuals scored high on clinical measures of PTSD even though none had previous trauma, were not present at the traumatic events and had only watched them via social media. Those who reported viewing the events more often were most affected.”
“It is quite worrying,” Dr. Ramsden said, “that nearly a quarter of those who viewed the images scored high on clinical measures of PTSD. There was also an increased risk for those with outgoing, extroverted personalities. With increased access to social media and the internet via tablets and smartphones, we need to ensure that people are aware of the risks of viewing these images and that appropriate support is available for those who need it.”
Basically, the study found that people experienced symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder from watching videos of events. Just watching. They didn’t need to be there. They didn’t need to experience the events themselves. They could experience trauma from watching the media clips of events. When they watched more clips, they became increasingly triggered. In addition, people with more outgoing personalities had stronger reactions. (British Psychological Society. (2015, May 6). Viewing violent news on social media can cause trauma. ScienceDaily. Retrieved June 6, 2020 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/05/150506164240.html) (Secondary article based on the same study: Can social media cause PTSD?)
If you were to pull out your phone and open your social media of choice right now, what would you find trending? What images would fill your explore page? What are the most popular headlines? At the time this article is being written (2020) the top posts are: coronavirus, police brutality, COVID-19, George Floyd, Donald Trump. If you were reading this in 2001, it would have been: September 11th attacks, Taliban, 20,000 people die in earthquake in India, world economy, and Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In 2010? Gulf oil spill, Haiti earthquake, Pakistan floods, Korea conflict, Hurricane Earl. If you are reading this in the future, I would be willing to bet at least 4 out of 5 of the “trending” topics center on conflict and human struggle. (I hope I am wrong about that… someone email me!)
So, how is media violence a social justice issue? Well, social media is a main source of news for teens. Social media movements have become very popular. Not long ago, people began pushing for change through movements centered on social media. #MeToo and #SayHerName are two examples of this. People have also begun the habit of filming injustices they see, and posting them to social media. From there, these images and videos are shared to no end. In an effort to raise awareness for their cause, champions for a movement may use these images and recordings, along with their hashtag, and encourage others to share. A common example of this is sharing a police body camera or bystander video along with the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter to raise awareness of police brutality and push for higher police accountability measures.
While these videos may be effective at raising awareness, they may also have negative effects on the mental health of young people. A 2019 study by Brendesha M. Tynes (an associate professor of education and psychology at the USC Rossier School of Education) found such “videos may also have deleterious effects on the mental health of young members of the same racial communities as the victims in those shootings.” According to the study, “Previous research has linked exposure to violent media with trauma, and other research has connected actual police killings in a given region to poor mental health in same-race communities.”
“Increased exposure to traumatic events online, whether they involve members of one’s own racial-ethnic group or those of other racial-ethnic groups, are related to poor mental health outcomes,” said Tynes. “[Our] study shows that the increase in depressive and PTSD symptoms crosses racial and ethnic lines—in other words, the mental health of both African American and Latinx teens may be linked to viewing any racial violence, not just that which depicts their own racial or ethnic group.” (Brendesha M. Tynes et al. Race-Related Traumatic Events Online and Mental Health Among Adolescents of Color, Journal of Adolescent Health (2019))
When we see people who look like us in the media, this impacts our brain on a subconscious level. Though we may not realize it, the media plays a part in shaping our identity. This is why representation in the media is so important. In 2002, Halle Berry became the first black woman to win an Academy Award for Best Actress. This was a huge deal for Halle, but also a big deal for black women, and little girls. The media broadcast of Halle Berry’s historic win shaped the lives of young black girls world-over. Suddenly, it was possible for black women to win an Academy Award for Best Actress. This one incident helped frame the collective identity of black women and girls, by expanding the realm of what they are capable of becoming. The same can be said for Barack Obama’s presidency and the impact on black males, or Sonia Sotomayor’s appointment as a Supreme Court justice and the impact on young Latinas. The list goes on and on.
If positive representation in the media can strengthen identity and pride, it should make sense that negative representation can cause harm. Ramsden’s study confirmed this is true for multiple groups. Other research studies have tied violent exposure to negative outcomes in specific communities. One such study was conducted by Robert Motley. Motley is the manager of the Race and Opportunity Lab and a doctoral candidate in the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis. His research centers on media impact on African American males. “Social media,” he says, “has created another pathway to put black men at risk for increased rates of exposure to community-based violence.”
“Although the chronic condition of stress can have negative side effects on all persons,” he said, “unique [factors], specifically the common and pervasive exposure to racism and discrimination, creates an additional daily stressor for African-Americans.” What does this mean? The fact that young black men are exposed to racism and discrimination often, causes stress. This stress is often greater than what is experienced by members of other groups. (Robert O Motley et al. Exposure to Community-Based Violence on Social Media among Black Male Emerging Adults Involved with the Criminal Justice System, Social Work Research (2020) (Physiological & Psychological Impact of Racism and Discrimination for African-Americans, https://www.apa.org/pi/oema/resources/ethnicity-health/racism-stress , American Psychological Association).
So maybe you’re convinced that overt violence in the media has a negative impact on your mental health. Maybe you decide you won’t watch videos with trigger warnings. Maybe you will stop sharing violent images. But is that enough? Maybe not. The Opportunity Agenda published an article to their Social Science Literature Review titled Media Representations and Impact on the Lives of Black Men and Boys which outlines what they call “distorted patterns of portrayal” of black males in the media. These distortions include underrepresentation, exaggerated negative associations, limited positive associations, and the problem frame. A brief description of each distortion is outlined below:
- Underrepresentation overall: black males are underrepresented in certain roles. This means, there aren’t as many black males playing certain roles as there are members of other races. These roles include: experts, computer users, millionaires and fathers.
- Negative associations exaggerated: black males are often cast as criminals, unemployed, and poor. The most common face used to represent “poverty” in media is the black male.
- Positive associations limited: when black males are positively portrayed in media, this is typically as: athletes, musicians and extreme strength or manliness. Though these are positive images, the issue is that the roles are very limited. It creates an understanding in people’s minds that these are the ONLY strengths of black men.
- “The “problem” frame: Due to both distortions and also accurate and sympathetic discussion, black males tend to be overly associated with intractable problems. Missing stories — Many important dimensions of black males’ lives, such as historical antecedents of black economic disadvantage and persistence of anti-black male bias, are largely ignored by the media.” (Bell & Janis, 2011)
Violence and representation in the media are social justice issues. If we want justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges in our society, then we need to pay closer attention to the media we consume. In paying closer attention, potential triggers become more apparent. When you consume media today, take note. How many images are violent? What types of roles do you see members of a particular race portraying? Try empathy. Try looking at an image through the lens of a person of another gender, another race, another religion. Take note of the adjectives used to describe people. Does the language vary based on the race of the person being described?
Because this issue is so expansive, we have compiled a resource bank for you. We encourage you to continue to research this topic on your own. You can find the resource bank here. When you are done, head over to React and Reflect, where you can dive into some examples of the concepts outlined in this article.
Social + Justice + You 