Curiosity Drives Viewers To Ignore Trigger Warnings (phys.org) 48
alternative_right shares a report from Phys.org: For the first time, a new study has tested the effectiveness of trigger warnings in real life scenarios, revealing that the vast majority of young adults choose to ignore them. A new Flinders University study has found that nearly 90% of young people who saw a trigger warning still chose to view the content, saying that they did so out of curiosity, rather than because they felt emotionally prepared or protected. The findings published in the Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry aligned with a growing body of lab-based research suggesting that trigger warnings rarely lead to the avoidance of potentially distressing material.
Good (Score:3)
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The best way to handle trigger warnings is to either ignore them or to treat them like an advertisement for something worth seeing
They rarely actually contain what they advertise. It's not safe to simply ignore the warnings, either--the kind of person that puts a trigger warning per se (rather than an intro that describes the type of content) is telegraphing an intent to coddle their viewers. The most flagrant example I've encountered was a volunteer reading a book out loud (publishing it as a web serial audio book) who felt the need to give a trigger warning but also censor the source material. Ordinarily a volunteer can do what they
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> I don't think the original author should have allowed that (as an author has final say in whether/how their work is adapted).
I disagree, once you put something out into the world, you lose control what people do with it (unless the derivative project is tailored for financial gain, then it gets a bit more complicated).
In your case parodies shouldn't exist without the original author's consent. That's a sad world...
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I've never seen anything worth avoiding.
Self-centered much? No clue about what or who trigger warnings are for? Feel compelled to post anyway, and prove it?
I can't contemplate how sensitive the British must be as to require such on the content they publish.
I can't contemplate caring so little about others that I had so little empathy that I could understand that some people would need trigger warnings that I don't need. You're literally a sociopath.
Oh please (Score:1)
The sort of people who have some kind of emotional breakdown or panic attack after viewing something online are either emotionally immature or have some other kind of mental health issue. Normally adjusted young people may well find something disgusting or disturbing but can cope with it. The whole trigger warning thing needs to be binned as its usually used on topics or opinions the warner doesn't like rather than actual horrendous images.
Obviously this doesn't apply to young children but thats not who's b
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You are talking about the extremes of people suffering from PTSD, a recognized medical condition that famously affects solders and emergency services people.
For people without PTSD, sometimes it's just nice to know about this stuff so you can choose if you want to ruin your day a week after your dog died or whatever. You don't have to live your life on the edge all the time.
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I’m not sure I really get the intention of trigger warnings for non-extreme individuals as you mention; I'm genuinely interested to know why they exist, and if they actually work in practice.
The most common examples of trigger warnings (particularly when they are literally called and labelled as “trigger warning”) I see are 1) in a YouTube video about (say) unsolved crimes that start with a trigger warning saying "this video deals with subjects including suicide and child sexual assault"..
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You are assuming that people are "triggered" by the mere mention of the word, but it tends not to be like that for most.
I've known people who died by suicide, I've had pets die, and for a while after that I'd prefer not to watch stuff that deals with those issues. I wouldn't have a catastrophic episode if I did, but why hurt myself when I don't have to? And I can completely understand why people for whom the trauma is much worse would need to avoid it, not out of choice but necessity.
Also keep in mind that
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Yeah, but this is probably the same rule that leads to "warning: may contain peanuts" on a bag of peanuts. I'm buying peanuts so of course I hope the bag contains peanuts and someone who is allergic to peanuts will not touch the bag of peanuts with or without the warning.
However, the rule is that if something contains even a trace amount of peanuts, it needs the warning and there is no exception for "it obviously contains peanuts so the warning is not necessary".
So, I guess the same applies to content, so y
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Common sense is in short supply these days. So what can you expect. Its like coffee cups that warn the content might be hot. Yeah it is supposed to be, but someone somewhere would do something stupid and then try to blame someone else if they did not do the CYA.
Its also true that we live in a world where you can walk down the grocery aisle and see a lot of bottles labeled "Juice" for which if you read the fine print contain little or no fruit/vegetable juice. I am not sure it is -inconceivable- a product
Re: Oh please (Score:2)
I scan the headlines and rarely click through because of reasons. Decent journalism is rare nowadays. Misinformed reporting, opinions hiding inside, lack of subject matter knowledge, lack of depth, all make the so called articles close to worthless. "Articles" with less than 75 words, 4 sentences are common enough on formerly august sites like WaPo and the Guardian, for you to know your reading clickbait.
If the article is about Charlie getting shot in the
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I’m not sure I really get the intention of trigger warnings for non-extreme individuals as you mention; I'm genuinely interested to know why they exist, and if they actually work in practice.
It's easy. While most of the time I don't care sometimes I don't want to see something awful and will avoid something with a trigger warning.
As I say, I'm talking about trigger warnings in the way they are commonly used. I totally believe that (for instance) a TikketyTok video should warn people that it's about to show a man being beheaded before launching into the gruesome 4k slo-mo gore. The majority of people would surely want to be warned so they could say “no”. But that's not a TRIGGER warning, it's a CONTENT warning (and an “unexpected upcoming content warning” at that. The two are very different. The whole "triggering" thing is about the SUBJECT MATTER, not the content itself.
No, that's a trigger warning https://www.merriam-webster.co... [merriam-webster.com] .
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Yes, I'm arguing with the aid of the term's literal meaning. What's your point?
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I know someone who is really afraid of snakes, to the point that this person reacts negatively to a photo or even a drawing of a snake, but can talk about them.
So, "warning, there are snakes in this video" would be helpful.
So, maybe the same applies to the content warnings? just mentioning the word is not a problem, but describing in detail is?
Re:Oh please (Score:4, Insightful)
On the other hand, maybe they actually work fine.
Just like epilepsy warnings, most of us who know we are not epileptic just ignore them. I expect someone who is seizure prone, and knows they triggered by brights flashes and color etc, takes them rather more seriously, maybe they avoid the content or enable some filters that restrict dynamic range of the content.
Most of us can deal with watching a video or reading something we disagree with, don't like, might find disgusting, etc as you say. There are people with mental illness and if you are one of those people with a condition like PTSD, panic attacks, anxiety issues, then you can make a decision.
Probably only a very small percentage of women in the amusement park are pregnant on any given day. That does not mean we should take down the signs warning them they should not ride the roller coaster does it?
Re: Oh please (Score:2)
So youâ(TM)re saying that because they have a mental health condition they donâ(TM)t deserve to have any accommodations? You wouldnâ(TM)t say âoeoh please, people who canâ(TM)t walk are either babies or amputees, the whole wheelchair ramp thing should be binned immediatelyâ
The purpose of trigger warnings (Score:5, Insightful)
The whole purpose of trigger warnings is to advise people who already know that they have psychological triggers that can cause an uncontrollable cascade of emotions. It's not to keep the queasy from tossing their cookies. It gives empowered individuals (like those with properly diagnosed PTSD) the information they need to use that power.
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The whole purpose of trigger warnings is to advise people who already know that they have psychological triggers that can cause an uncontrollable cascade of emotions. It's not to keep the queasy from tossing their cookies. It gives empowered individuals (like those with properly diagnosed PTSD) the information they need to use that power.
Thats the reason demanded by lawyers and legal liability.
The obvious other reason we have any reasonable content warnings online is because we don’t police children worth a damn on the internet. And all of us have plenty of shit we wish we could unsee.
All this report shows is that ignorance about harm has desensitized most parents and children to the point where they will grow up and have to psychologically manage a hell of a lot more than previous generations did. Content warnings do serve a purpos
Parental Advisory Explicit Lyrics (Score:2)
So basically the same as stickering albums from days past, with the same motivations- do-gooderism with unintended consequences.
And can we finally admit that much like music before, this was never intended to serve the public but stroke the egos of the pearl clutching class?
And can we further admit the same of locking down the web, for the children, may have noble intentions, but the methods are completely counter-productive?
Nope. I guess another generation has to suffer through this idiocy.
Come on.. (Score:2)
The problem is, this is all subjective.
I find it triggering that we're living in a world where two people can't have a discussion about apples and oranges without triggering somebody into a meltdown for assuming they hate bananas.... This is becoming so common...
I imagine people are just hitting a point of exhaustion with a lot of this trigger and whatever else talk. But I'm no expert...
I hope people are getting exhausted..
The purpose of a trigger warning (Score:5, Insightful)
That is totally off-base!
A trigger warning is for people who have trauma that may be triggered by the content. Most people don't have serious trauma (at least I hope so).
If people want to use it as a guide, that makes no difference to its usefulness to those that need it.
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You are completely correct however I feel the need to add that the reason people may find trigger warnings annoying is because the number of people who think they need trigger warnings is vastly larger than the number of people who actually do.
It's often the latter type that demands ever more warnings and they often enough do it in obnoxious manners.
Re:The purpose of a trigger warning (Score:5, Insightful)
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Fast-forward 20 years and it's become yet another once-valid tool corrupted to serve those who define themselves by minor hangups and demand the world yield to them.
[citation needed]
Triggers (Score:4, Insightful)
A sane middle ground would be like movie ratings: a simple content list available on request, not blocking the start screen or page. Adults can judge what they want to read. If someone cannot handle deciding for themselves, the warning will not help anyway. It just signals how badly the author wants to be seen as caring. Warnings should serve clarity, not self-congratulation.
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Once per new game I would have thought, since you might be playing it on a computer someone else installed it on.
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This is in tons of games, including games that don't need it like Snowrunner, and it displays every time. It does this because it's easier than thinking about how many times it should display, and also because the game has no way to know whether there is a new player or spectator sitting in front of the screen or not.
One clever trick..it's not what you think (Score:2)
It must have stopped working because those are gone now.
Why can't I search on them? (Score:2)
Slashdot (Score:2)
Seems to triggering a few people this morning. Keep up the good work!
They don't understand trigger warnings (Score:3)
Duh (Score:1)
"Trigger warnings" are performative.
They fully succeeded at saying "look how enlightened I am", which was their actual goal.
A "trigger warning" is not aimed at everybody (Score:4, Informative)
It is aimed at people that do not want to see specific things and people that know they have mental issues with specific things. Hence ordinary people ignoring trigger warnings is entirely fine and works as designed.
Seem to me this study has no merit.
Curiosity? The cheeky non-binary Mars robot? (Score:2)
Good for he / they.
They aren't there for the 90% (Score:4, Informative)
Trigger warnings are for people who have some deep emotional trauma or PTSD associated with the named topic. One would hope that 10% or less are that damaged. You put a trigger warning in front of a video that discusses or depicts sexual abuse for abuse survivors suffering from PTSD, not for the general population who finds it disturbing. Hopefully everyone finds it disturbing.
because (Score:2)
... The very concept that an adult needs a warning before being conditioned by something uncomfortable is *fundamentally asinine*.
If it's something that shouldn't be engaged with by children, then it's what we used to call "adult content" and we don't let young people consume it.
Next: how water is wet and the sun comes up in the east.
/. Trigger warnings (Score:2)
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You are conflating dog whistles with trigger warnings....
Warning: This post may contain graphic content. (Score:2)
Ha! Made ya look!
They're the modern day content warnings/ratings on (Score:2)
Do NOT read this comment! (Score:1)