I watched a music video that came out recently. It was brutal. Blood, gore—literal horror. Musically, it felt like an assault, and the visuals made it look like a nightmare you couldn’t escape from. I forced myself to watch all the way through and then sat in silence once it ended. I was shocked, and I realised a line I had drawn in myself had been crossed.
What unsettled me even more was how others responded. Very few seemed concerned about the absolute horror that was presented. Did people really believe it was acceptable to be entertained by this?
And that’s the question at the heart of this reflection. If we were to act out some of the fantasies we consume online—violent betrayals, manipulative lies, distorted portrayals of intimacy—we’d likely be arrested. So why do we feel it’s acceptable to watch them on our screens?
This may sound extreme to some, but the truth is simple: we only have one mind. What we feed it—through our thoughts, our media, our daily entertainment—shapes who we are for the rest of our lives.
The Weight of Our Thoughts
We tend to think of thoughts as private, passing, and harmless. Yet they form grooves in the way we live. A stray thought about someone’s failings can become a habit of judgment. Quiet irritation can harden into bitterness. Resentment rehearsed over and over erodes patience and compassion.
What we think about doesn’t just sit in the background—it builds who we are. And the same is true for what we consume. Media, music, television, games, and social networks don’t merely pass through us; they leave traces, shaping our attitudes, beliefs, and even our capacity to empathise with others.
Entertainment as Conditioning
We often say, “It’s just entertainment.” But research suggests otherwise. Entertainment doesn’t leave us untouched—it conditions us.
Horror and Fear
When we watch horror films, our brains react as though the threat were real. Studies show that jump scares synchronise brain responses across viewers, especially in the amygdala, the region responsible for fear and emotional processing (Hudson, 2024). In moderation, this thrill-seeking might be harmless. But what happens when we repeatedly feed our minds with images of terror?
Violence and Desensitisation
A study published in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence followed college students who viewed violent film clips over multiple sessions. Their empathy initially increased—but with continued exposure, empathy dropped below baseline levels (Krahé et al., 2015).
Similarly, researchers at the University of Alabama found that repeated exposure to violent media dampened emotional and physiological responses to others’ suffering, especially in young people (Pardun, 2025). This phenomenon—known as desensitisation—means that violence and cruelty can gradually stop shocking us.
George Gerbner’s “Mean World Syndrome” explains this shift: repeated exposure to violence cultivates a worldview of fear, anxiety, and mistrust (Gerbner, 1980). But it also normalises violence, making it appear acceptable or inevitable.
I couldn’t help but think back to that music video—the one that crossed a line in me. What unsettled me wasn’t only what I saw, but how normalised it seemed to everyone else. That’s the quiet danger: when shock becomes entertainment, and horror becomes routine, we stop asking whether it should disturb us. We stop noticing that something in us is being dulled.
Games and Immersion
This isn’t limited to films or music videos. Computer games, too, blur the boundary between reality and entertainment. Research has shown that violent video games can reduce empathy and increase aggressive thoughts in players, particularly when violence is rewarded or normalised within the game (Anderson et al., 2010). Unlike films, games are interactive, requiring the player to practice certain behaviours. That interactivity strengthens learning—meaning that repeated exposure to violent scenarios may reinforce those patterns more deeply than passive viewing (Gentile & Anderson, 2003).
Of course, not all games are harmful—many build problem-solving skills, creativity, or teamwork. But the same principle applies: what we practise, even virtually, leaves a mark.
Social Media: The Double-Edged Mirror
While traditional media has long shaped culture, social media has taken this influence further—embedding it directly into our daily lives.
Mental Health Impacts
Numerous studies have linked heavy social media use with anxiety, depression, and self-harm, especially among young people (Twenge et al., 2017). A 2025 study found that social media wasn’t inherently harmful—but when people used it habitually, for emotional escape, or passively rather than actively, it was strongly associated with depression (Kaur & Singh, 2025).
In contrast, intentional use—engaging mindfully, connecting with friends, practising self-compassion—showed no harmful effects. The difference lay not in the tool itself, but in how it was used.
Body Image and Distortion
Social platforms also shape how we see ourselves. The rise of “Snapchat dysmorphia,” a term coined by cosmetic surgeons, describes people seeking surgery to look like their filtered selfies (Ramphul & Mejias, 2018). Constant exposure to curated, manipulated images fuels dissatisfaction with our own bodies, increasing risks of eating disorders and body dysmorphic disorder.
The Rise of “Brain Rot”
Australians in particular have begun speaking about “brain rot”—a colloquial term for the cognitive decline that comes from endless scrolling. Sleep disruption, shortened attention spans, anxiety, and depression are all linked to compulsive, passive scrolling (News.com.au, 2024). The term captures what many already feel: that our minds are being rewired by fragmented, low-quality input.
Conditioning by Design
Cultivation theory, originally developed for television, now applies powerfully to social media: the more we consume, the more we internalise its version of reality (Morgan et al., 2015). Whether it’s idealised bodies, outrage-driven politics, or constant comparison, these narratives don’t just entertain us—they condition us.
Shifting Norms: How We Became Desensitised
When I saw that music video, I felt that line inside me being crossed. But looking at the comments, I realised for many others the line had already shifted, maybe long ago. What once would have been unthinkable was now just another upload in the feed.
The same process plays out across media—films, music, games, even social platforms. Repeated exposure gradually lowers our sensitivity. And when we stop being shocked, we stop questioning.
Reality vs. Screen: Where’s the Line?
This raises a difficult question: If acting out these fantasies in real life would land us in prison, why do we accept them in our living rooms?
Violence, betrayal, manipulation, pornography—all are illegal, immoral, or destructive when lived out. Yet on screens they become “normal,” or even entertaining. We convince ourselves that the screen is a safe distance. But our minds don’t draw such sharp lines. They absorb what they’re given.
If media desensitises us to suffering, betrayal, or objectification, then even if we never act them out, we become more tolerant of them. We accept what we once resisted.
Taking Responsibility for Our Minds
This doesn’t mean every story must be sanitised. Stories with shadows can still sharpen our understanding of life, teach us resilience, or spark compassion. But there’s a difference between being confronted by darkness and being entertained by it. One strengthens us. The other erodes us.
Practical steps:
- Be intentional. Ask why you’re watching or scrolling. Does it draw out qualities you want to nurture—or diminish them?
- Limit passive use. Studies show active engagement online is less harmful than passive scrolling (Valkenburg et al., 2022).
- Set boundaries. Screen-free zones, mindful breaks, and intentional disconnection help recalibrate our inner lives.
- Choose nourishing input. Books, art, meaningful conversations—what we consume can also feed compassion, patience, creativity, and wisdom.
We only get one mind. Protecting it is not extremism—it’s stewardship.
Conclusion
We often underestimate the quiet power of what we let into our heads. Thoughts of bitterness, shows of cruelty, endless feeds of comparison—none of these leave us untouched. They shape us, normalise what we once resisted, and weaken the best parts of us.
If we care about who we are becoming, we need to care about what we consume. Because in the end, our minds don’t just store what passes through them. They are built by it.
References
- Anderson, C. A., Shibuya, A., Ihori, N., et al. (2010). Violent video game effects on aggression, empathy, and prosocial behaviour in Eastern and Western countries: A meta-analytic review. Psychological Bulletin, 136(2), 151–173.
- Gentile, D. A., & Anderson, C. A. (2003). Violent video games: The new media of children and adolescents. Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 24(4), 277–288.
- Gerbner, G. (1980). The “Mainstreaming” of America: Violence Profile No. 11. Journal of Communication, 30(3), 10–29.
- Hudson, C. (2024). Your Brain After a Boo: The Neuroscience Behind Horror Films. Grey Matters Journal.
- Kaur, H., & Singh, R. (2025). Mindfulness, self-compassion, and the mental health effects of social media use. Journal of Behavioral Health, 12(1), 44–59.
- Krahé, B., Möller, I., Huesmann, L. R., et al. (2015). Desensitization to media violence: Links with habitual media violence exposure, aggressive cognitions, and aggressive behaviour. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 44(5), 1099–1113.
- Morgan, M., Shanahan, J., & Signorielli, N. (2015). Cultivation theory in the twenty-first century. Mass Communication and Society, 18(5), 674–699.
- News.com.au. (2024). Warning issued over “brain rot”: The 2024 habit that’s on the rise.
- Pardun, C. (2025). Screens of Desensitisation: How Media Numbs Our Society. University of Alabama.
- Ramphul, K., & Mejias, S. G. (2018). Is “Snapchat dysmorphia” a real issue? Cureus, 10(3), e2263.
- Twenge, J. M., Joiner, T. E., Rogers, M. L., & Martin, G. N. (2017). Increases in depressive symptoms, suicide-related outcomes, and suicide rates among U.S. adolescents after 2010 and links to increased new media screen time. Clinical Psychological Science, 6(1), 3–17.
- Valkenburg, P. M., Meier, A., & Beyens, I. (2022). Social media use and its impact on adolescent mental health: An umbrella review. Current Opinion in Psychology, 45, 101311.