This research initially set out to examine the phenomenon of empathy in the social media era. In contemporary society, individuals appear more willing to express empathy and find it easier to elicit empathetic responses from others. This observation prompted me to question whether social media has genuinely fostered moral improvement. To address this, we reviewed several theoretical perspectives and encountered the concept of the “empathy machine,” a term for technological systems designed to evoke and stimulate empathy. However, through discussions with my advisor, we began to question the depth of this empathy. Based on my observations and experiences, such empathy does not appear to drive substantive societal change. For example, it remains unclear whether the lives of people with disabilities, women, or sexual minorities have significantly improved as a result of social media. Analyzing data from presentation slides and case studies referenced in the article’s introduction suggests a less optimistic outcome. This led me to consider whether empathy on social media primarily functions as emotional consumption, addressing only the surface of social change rather than facilitating the transformative emotional rituals of the past. Recognizing the significance of this question, we determined that the “empathy machine” framework required additional critical theoretical resources. Among the theories considered, Marxist political economy emerged as the most relevant and incisive for our research, ultimately shaping our current analytical framework.
#Academic JourneyLast modified on 2025-06-21