"Just minutes after Charlie Kirk was shot at an event at Utah Valley University last week, videos capturing the moment the bullet struck him began appearing online. They quickly racked up millions of views. "We are not wired as human beings, biologically, historically we have not evolved in a way that we are capable of processing those types of violent imagery," Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said at a recent press conference. "This is not good for us. It is not good to consume.""
"For many online, seeing the videos of Kirk's shooting wasn't a choice. The event in Utah was being livestreamed, and thousands of people in the audience had smartphones. Even without searching them out, people were confronted with the graphic footage in their social media feeds sometimes playing automatically. "Social media and violent imagery often go together these days," said Emerson Brooking, director of strategy and a senior resident fellow at the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab. "This took place where everyone could see it and it was intended that everyone would see it.""
"The toll of seeing violent images Silver researches the mental and physical health impacts of traumatic events, including terrorist attacks, school shootings and natural disasters. She said there's no question: seeing graphic imagery, especially repeatedly, is not good for us."
Just minutes after Charlie Kirk was shot, videos capturing the moment began appearing online and quickly accumulated millions of views. Livestreaming and widespread smartphone use meant many people were involuntarily exposed to graphic footage through social media feeds and autoplay. Public officials and experts warned that humans are not evolved to process repeated violent imagery and that such exposure is harmful. Social media platforms have increased the reach of graphic content that previously required active seeking. Researchers studying trauma note that repeated viewing of violent images harms mental and physical health, requiring vigilance and mitigation.
Read at www.npr.org
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