Elon Musk has declared a war on empathy, describing the human ability to recognize, understand and share the thoughts and feelings of another person as “the fundamental weakness of Western civilization.”
Meanwhile, AI-generated algorithms are lording it over people who live at the mercy of eavesdropping digital devices that bombard them with unwanted ads, overwrite their text messages and scramble their inherent sense of direction and purpose.
Resigning ourselves to living in this high-tech dystopia isn’t inevitable. We can take action to fight back. Here are seven ideas:
Rethink communication: Instead of relying on social media platforms to communicate with family, friends and colleagues, consider returning to more traditional — and less exploited — forms of interpersonal communication. While emails and text messages are convenient tools for professional and social correspondence, making a phone call to a friend or writing a letter to a family member are thoughtful, other-centered acts that inspire meaningful moments of human connection.
Bypass bullying algorithms: Take control of your social media feed by refraining from liking and disliking posts, ignoring click bait and resisting the urge to weigh in on the polarizing, hyper-partisan chatter that manipulative algorithms feed on. Save your voice, instead, for authentic, human-centered conversations that foster compassion, cultivate gratitude and inspire hope in our capacity to build a brighter tomorrow.
Reassess Your relationship with streaming media platforms: How we invest our time and money is a mirror image of our values. As an increasing number of legacy media and entertainment companies are commandeered by a cadre of narcissistic tech titans, it’s important to view the irrepressible power of voting with our wallets as a catalyst for transforming our reading and viewing habits.
Take Inventory of your cloud subscriptions. Do these recurring expenditures align with your ethical, environmental and social values? If not, think about cancelling your subscriptions and finding alternative tried-and-true news and entertainment sources. Most news platforms offer free, curated morning news updates. Explore the possibilities before subscribing to a handful that meet your standards and have earned your trust.
Evenings spent relaxing in front of your flatscreen TV are possible without the Big Tech Bros monitoring your every click, while pushing unsolicited content into your streaming feed. PBS Passport members have access to an extensive on-demand digital streaming library featuring full seasons of celebrated dramas, historical and science documentaries, and award-winning arts and news programming.
Shop local: The convenience of shopping with Amazon promotes a feeling of instant gratification that is difficult to resist. Except for the truck drivers who dart in and out of our lives to deliver our packages, shopping with Amazon is devoid of human connection. Reclaim the joy of shopping by planning a weekly outing to support the small businesses and farmers markets in your community.
Link these shopping visits together with the gift of human conversation. Begin your weekly sprees by popping into your favorite neighborhood café for a cup of coffee or end them on a sweet note by treating yourself to a scoop of ice cream from the corner shop. Practicing this weekly ritual will re-spark the patter and flow of human connection that strengthen and sustain communities.
Cultivate community: Knitting hearts and minds together isn’t rocket science. It begins with simple acts that blossom into memories that last a lifetime. Invite your neighbors to join you for a summer twilight picnic in a neighborhood park or a morning hike through a nature reserve, canyon or open space.
Consider organizing a monthly meet-up that explores the myriad community celebrations, events and activities taking place across San Diego on any given day or evening. The KPBS Events Calendar and San Diego Art Directory are two go-to resources for discovering the many uplifting outings that our vibrant region has to offer. Keeping your event planning simple creates space and light for unexpected joyful surprises!
Express yourself: Celebrating empathy as a superpower is a compelling collective response to the callous indifference unleashed by artificial intelligence. By embracing “Cry, Hug, Laugh, Love” as your motto, you’ll affirm the range of emotions that make you uniquely human and inspire others to look up from their digital devices and into a world brimming with the compassion that transforms communities.
A second-generation San Diegan and nonprofit consultant, Molly Bowman-Styles is the President of Windansea Communications.
Want to submit a letter to the editor, guest column or opinion piece? Find our guidelines and submission form here.
