Seminario Moral Desensitization in Digital Contexts: Instagram exposure alters moral perception and emotional reactivity

11 maggio 2026

Incontro del ciclo SeRiC - Seminario delle Ricerche in Corso, uno spazio di confronto per le persone interessate alle ricerche del Dipartimento FILO

  • 15:00 - 17:00
  • Online su Microsoft Teams e in presenza : Via Zamboni 38, Aula Mondolfo, Bologna
  • Scienza e tecnologia, Società e cultura In italiano e inglese

Per partecipare

Ingresso libero

Programma

Abstract: Social media are hinged on virality: they amplify content that evokes strong moral and emotional reactions, populating users’ feeds with affect-laden suggestions that might shape users' moral norms and online judgments. Their role as active mediators rather than neutral conduits heightens the need for thorough studies of how they influence moral judgments embedded in social media. In this work, we explore whether presenting and replying to moral dilemmas on Instagram impacts the users’ outputs, specifically concerning their perceived moral acceptability, arousal and valence ratings. Our results indicate that presenting moral dilemmas on Instagram (vs Qualtrics) increases their moral acceptability, dampening arousal and valence-related ratings. Furthermore, the Instagram group is slower in completing the task. Our findings suggest that simply being on social media platforms like Instagram can induce a moral desensitization. A troubling prospect for our society, given that billions engage with these platforms daily, risking a gradual erosion of sensitivity to moral issues.

L'incontro non è valido per la didattica dottorale del corso di dottorato "Philosophy, Science, Cognition, and Semiotics".

Chi interverrà

  • Nicola Chinchella (Università di Bologna)