Looking into “What’s Trending” at any given time, there always seems to be a traumatic story in the headlines. There’s something that draws people to controversy, death, crime, etc. It’s no surprise that people are naturally drawn to traumatic events.
Especially with journalists, a distressing story tends to be “easier” to write about. Not because it’s more fun, but because there is so much more to write about and so many facts to support it.
We asked La Joya’s very own Psychology (AP and regular) teacher, Ms. Tonn, her opinion on the issue.
She said,
“I think people become almost obsessed with those types of things because a lot of times it’s more interesting and also relatable, giving people a sense of relief because it didn’t happen to them. It’s similar to the ‘rubber neck syndrome’, where people see a car accident and can’t help but look because it’s so crazy.”
Although, the majority of people find out about these terrible events through social media sites and even tend share them. To some, it’s like a civic duty to get the information out there and more people involved.
Senior Cynthia Cortez says on the subject,
“The media has the tendency to reflect on the bad rather than focus on the uplifting events because large tragic disasters compel an audience more than tiny improvements do.”
These terrible happenings make us realize just how good we have it, and how crucial it is to stay strong together.
