Publication Date
2025
Document Type
Book
Description
Damon Salvatore, Chuck Bass, Loki. Across much of today’s favorite teen and young adult television, viewers seem to favor villains or anti-heroes over typical protagonists. Paradoxically, unsavory characters offer a depth, inviting a great human curiosity and thereby empathy. Viewers often identify with villains in their darkness, whether intentionally or not. This research contextualizes this phenomenon within broader discussions of social media due to the encouragement of digital over face-to-face interactions. Over time, society has become desensitized to crises ranging from personal relationships to global matters with the rise of social media usage, which disconnects individuals from tangible consequences. Therefore, empathy has grown increasingly scarce among teens and young adults of this generation. Drawing from historical literature turned to film as well as contemporary shows, this project explores how extending empathy for fictional characters correlates with empirical data, suggesting a decrease in connection with real-world people, relationships, and pressing issues.
Files
Download Full Text (688 KB)
Recommended Citation
Chen, Selina, "From Fear to Fondness: How Empathy for Flawed Foes on Screen Falters in the Real World for Teens and Young Adults" (2025). Research Days Posters 2025. 20.
https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2025/20
