WHEN social media connects us to animal rights and conservation causes that we care about, we can find ourselves exposed to traumatic content that can lead to mental health conditions such as compassion fatigue, burnout, and even Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
While the term ‘trauma’ is commonplace in today’s society, it represents a complex psychological condition with profound consequences for those who endure it.
The Psychiatric Diagnostic Manual (DSM) describes trauma as exposure to an event that is sustained as physically and/or emotionally harmful, and that has potential lasting adverse effects on our lives. Trauma can occur through experiencing something directly, witnessing something happen to someone close to us, or be the result of repeated exposure to the distressing details of an event or series of events. Many clinicians are beginning to make the case that this criterion in the DSM should include harm to companion and wild animals.
Exposure to trauma can take several forms, including through photo or video depictions.
In particular, social media platforms often provide less-filtered, more raw depictions of events, accompanied by graphic imagery.
While we may be witnessing at a distance via our electronic devices, perhaps from the comfort of our homes, we are nonetheless exposed to traumatic content. It is from this first viewing that we can begin to envision ourselves in these horrendous scenarios, and it begins to impact us both mentally and emotionally.
Feelings of guilt often accompany traumatic events, leading individuals to blame themselves and form negative views of themselves, others, and the world. The brain’s coping mechanism seeks order amidst chaos, prompting avoidance of pain by not engaging with the overwhelming scope of the problem.
Social media platforms play a pivotal role in trauma exposure by presenting unfiltered, raw depictions of events with graphic imagery. Animal welfare organisations frequently utilise these platforms to raise awareness, often sharing distressing content for fundraising, legal purposes, or news coverage.
While social media engagement can spur individuals into action, it also exposes them to a continuous stream of traumatic content, contributing to a potential dose-response relationship in trauma.
This means the more you are exposed to traumatic content, the more at risk you are of being impacted. While some individuals are able to recover and heal from exposure on their own without any treatment interventions, others may experience acute and persistent aspects of mental health conditions such as compassion fatigue, burnout, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
It can be helpful to know the terminology psychologists use to explain two types of emotions you might be feeling:
Natural emotions: These are the feelings universally experienced by humans: sadness, loneliness, isolation, fear, hopelessness, anger, confusion, disbelief, etc. While reflection on the traumatic event will always evoke natural emotions to some extent, they should become more bearable with time.
Manufactured emotions: These feelings are derived from our personal interpretation of the event. For example, if we believe that we should have been able to save the animal, or we didn’t do enough to protect them, we will most likely feel shame, worthlessness, and several other damaging feelings.
To navigate this challenging digital landscape, it is crucial to balance awareness with the potential negative effects of overexposure.
By recognising the impact of trauma, the animal welfare community can adopt strategies to promote mental well-being, such as virtual peer support groups. A study with U.S-based vetns highlighted the value of consistent, accessible, and supportive communities where thoughts and feelings are normalised and validated, fostering camaraderie and empathy.
When we’ve been traumatised by exposure to animal cruelty on social media, there are three effective and proactive steps we can take to mitigate our risk of lasting distressing impacts.
First and foremost, we need to understand that viewing this type of violent content can immediately affect our thoughts, mood, and behaviour. Particularly, we may find ourselves wanting to react impulsively, whether that’s further engaging or turning away.
A beneficial coping skill we can implement in real-time is to pause for a brief check-in. You can ask yourself the following questions:
This exercise can help you cultivate a deeper awareness as to your personal response to traumatic imagery.
Second, if you responded yes to any of these questions, give yourself time and space to process - and then release - what you witnessed. There are several healthy ways to do this: journalling; talking to a trusted loved one or colleague; spending time in nature; exercise These can be especially healing.
Third, establish a strategy for putting boundaries on your involvement with graphic campaigns or programming, while finding a balance with those that inspire and motivate you.
Together, these three steps can sustain your commitment while keeping you grounded and in control of your interactions.
We need to be aware of the psychological components of involvement in animal welfare. However, healing and unburdening can be achieved with a community of compassionate and dedicated individuals who are committed to helping others as well as the animals they care about.
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