Authenticity helping an elderly person use their cell phone

Empathy Empathy is the capacity to understand or feel what another person is experiencing from within their frame of reference, that is, the capacity to place oneself in another's position. Definitions of empathy encompass a broad range of social, co ...

has been studied in the context of

online communities An online community, also called an internet community or web community, is a community whose members interact with each other primarily via the Internet. Members of the community usually share common interests. For many, online communities may fe ...

as it pertains to enablers of interpersonal communication,

anonymity Anonymity describes situations where the acting person's identity is unknown. Some writers have argued that namelessness, though technically correct, does not capture what is more centrally at stake in contexts of anonymity. The important idea he ...

, as well as barriers to online relationships, such as ambiguity,

cyberbullying Cyberbullying or cyberharassment is a form of bullying or harassment using electronic means. Cyberbullying and cyberharassment are also known as online bullying. It has become increasingly common, especially among teenagers, as the digital ...

and

internet troll In slang, a troll is a person who posts or makes inflammatory, insincere, digressive, extraneous, or off-topic messages online (such as in social media, a newsgroup, a forum, a chat room, a online video game), or in real life, with the int ...

ing. The importance of this topic can not be underestimated as the landscape of online use drastically changed or evolved following the Covid-19 Pandemic of 2020 which forced many in the workplace, schools and even novice tech users into new and uncomfortable situations. This forced much more time spent and reliance on the virtual world, through our computers, phones, and tablets. Schools and workplaces moved online consumers also moved online for basic needs like grocery shopping, medical appointments and a host of new virtual services that impacted all generations. In online communications context becomes very important in understanding of people and is foundational for empathy. The important role of context includes intrapersonal relationships or personal disposition the interpersonal that includes our interactions with family, peers, workplaces, and schools; and the environmental that includes how we move through our community. For example, researchers Sameer Hinduja and Justin Patchin studied a national sample of 1,644 12- to 15-year-olds in the United States, and discovered that youth with higher levels of empathy were significantly less likely to cyberbully others. Cognitive empathy (understanding the feelings, or taking the perspective, of others) was linked to lower cyberbullying, while affective empathy (feeling or experiencing the emotions of someone else) was not. Notably, it also has been found that on online health support communities members tend to exhibit higher levels of empathic concern.

Comparison/contrast with empathy in offline environments

A number of studies have explored the importance of empathy in offline settings. For example, one study found that

mindfulness Mindfulness is the practice of purposely bringing one's attention to the present-moment experience without evaluation, a skill one develops through meditation or other training. Mindfulness derives from ''sati'', a significant element of Hind ...

and acceptance-based behavioral approaches may have potential for increasing empathy in interpersonal relationships. Other work has explored the link between

fiction Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places that are imaginary, or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent with history, fact, or plausibility. In a traditi ...

and empathy, suggesting that the experience-taking quality of fiction may increase empathy among readers. There is also evidence that individuals tend to more readily feel empathy for those that they view as similar to themselves. In online contexts, several researchers have pointed out that there are some key differences in how users interact online that may affect levels of empathy. For example, communication in

online forum An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are often longer than one line of text, and are at least temporar ...

communities interact asynchronously, and are generally text-based rather than verbal communications. Establishment of

trust Trust often refers to: * Trust (social science), confidence in or dependence on a person or quality It may also refer to: Business and law * Trust law, a body of law under which one person holds property for the benefit of another * Trust (bus ...

in online communities may also operate differently in online environments. Furthermore, communications related interactions with others online might facilitate empathy while video or online gaming might negatively affect empathy.

Enablers

Anonymity Anonymity describes situations where the acting person's identity is unknown. Some writers have argued that namelessness, though technically correct, does not capture what is more centrally at stake in contexts of anonymity. The important idea he ...

— The anonymous nature of many online communities can allow individuals to feel more comfortable disclosing more personal information, which in turn can increase feelings of trust, connectedness and empathy. * Shared interests — Because empathy tends to be strongest among those that share common experiences, the presence of niche online communities can set the stage for higher levels of empathy among members.

Barriers

Ambiguity Ambiguity is the type of meaning in which a phrase, statement or resolution is not explicitly defined, making several interpretations plausible. A common aspect of ambiguity is uncertainty. It is thus an attribute of any idea or statement ...

, because asynchronous, text-mediated online conversations lack the richness of interaction and cues that face-to-face interaction provides, online communication tends to be much more ambiguous. This ambiguity may decrease members' abilities to find similarities in one another. In both online and offline interactions, increased perceived similarity is associated with increased empathy. *

Cyberbullying Cyberbullying or cyberharassment is a form of bullying or harassment using electronic means. Cyberbullying and cyberharassment are also known as online bullying. It has become increasingly common, especially among teenagers, as the digital ...

is any bullying that takes place using electronic media. Studies have suggested that individuals who are bystanders, that is, witnessing someone bullying someone else, are less likely to intervene in online contexts. *

Internet trolling In slang, a troll is a person who posts or makes inflammatory, insincere, digressive, extraneous, or off-topic messages online (such as in social media, a newsgroup, a forum, a chat room, a online video game), or in real life, with the int ...

is "the practice of behaving in a deceptive, destructive, or disruptive manner in a social setting on the Internet with no apparent instrumental purpose." Although empirical research on trolling is limited, studies have suggested that internet trolling may be a space occupied by already-sadistic individuals who can easily disrupt conversations and communities.

References

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External links

Empathy in an online world

Psychology Today ''Psychology Today'' is an American media organization with a focus on psychology and human behavior. It began as a bimonthly magazine, which first appeared in 1967. The ''Psychology Today'' website features therapy and health professionals direct ...

The power of empathy - tying empathy to digital responsibility, www.crslearn.org
*https://www.verywellmind.com/cognitive-and-emotional-empathy-4582389 Human–computer interaction Virtual communities Empathy Cyberpsychology