That’s why we’re more interested in a missing submarine than drowning refugees That’s why we’re more interested in a missing submarine than drowning refugees

Are we just bad people? How is it possible that the fate of five men keeps the entire (Western) world in suspense, while last week a boat with 750 refugees on board capsized in the Mediterranean? Now that it’s clear that Titan’s crew is dead, the media is turning to this question. An overview of the reasons why people read what they read.

The felt closeness

If a story is about a single person or a small group of people, it’s easier for the reader to feel close. We knew the names and ages of the crew of “Titan” and what their faces looked like. With an increasing number of those affected, our compassion is increasingly diminishing, writes NZZ journalist Corina Gall in her commentary.

She refers to the American psychiatrist Robert Jay Lifton, who attributes people’s indifference to mass suffering to a kind of mental anesthesia.

The imaginability

It is also easier to put yourself in the shoes of the submarine crew, psychologist and neuroscientist Grit Hein tells T-Online. Anyone can imagine what it’s like to be locked in a small space in the midst of endless darkness. However, it is more difficult for the general public to put themselves in the shoes of a person on the run who fears for his life and leaves everything behind with his children and belongings.

The hope

Another factor that encourages people to read such an underwater story is the hope of a miracle. “People then join in the excitement for days and want to witness this miracle. Like in a movie where you can guess the outcome because it’s inevitable, but still hope things turn out differently,” writes Corina Gall in the NZZ.

The voyeurism

The NZZ cites “voyeurism, malice, cynicism” as further reasons for the widespread interest. When very wealthy men spend $250,000 on a trip to the bottom of the sea and it fails, there are certain cynics who follow the action with a smile.

avoidance

The case of these two tragedies in the open sea further demonstrates the ability of humans to oppress. Yves Bossart, moderator of the SRF program “Sternstunden Philosophie” explains this as follows: “With the submarine we are uninvolved observers – like in the cinema. We can’t and don’t have to do anything.” However, news about sinking refugee boats is different because you know that you or politicians can and must do something.

intensive reporting

Finally, of course, media coverage also plays a role. A story that offers enough material for a Hollywood movie can be told well. On the other hand, in the summer we almost weekly receive stories about refugees who died at sea. Due to the sheer volume, these receive considerably less attention from media professionals and readers.

In addition, “the media push each other up”, as Corina Gall describes it. If a news portal places the story about the submarine prominently, the reader automatically thinks that the story is also of great importance from an objective point of view. And then other media follows suit and puts the story at the top of the page. “The number of clicks is skyrocketing and the media houses in turn see their prioritization confirmed.”