{"id":3060,"date":"2022-04-27T16:41:33","date_gmt":"2022-04-27T20:41:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vpms1.humber.smartmanagedservers.com\/scribemag\/?p=3060"},"modified":"2022-05-03T11:32:06","modified_gmt":"2022-05-03T15:32:06","slug":"3060","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/scribemag\/lifestyle\/3060\/","title":{"rendered":"Trigger Warnings"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Mandy Li | Scribe<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What was once a term coined to warn online users about triggering content has now been tarnished, as trigger warnings expanded beyond trauma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trigger warnings are statements found in the beginning of the content that alerts the viewer that what they\u2019re about to see contains potentially disturbing material. They essentially serve as a protective barrier for those with a history of trauma, giving them a chance to step away before it\u2019s too late. Trigger warnings first originated from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The term refers to someone who might get reminded of their trauma, \u201ctriggering\u201d them and causing anxiety or intrusive thoughts. When a person has a history of trauma, it means that they experienced something that they can\u2019t forget, oftentimes being a negative, horrifying event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In recent years, researchers have begun to question the value of trigger warnings. Victoria Bridgland, who has her Ph.D in cognitive psychology, looked at people\u2019s responses to trigger warnings and how they interpret them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe found that they don\u2019t really seem to change people\u2019s reactions very much, which is a sort of trend throughout my research,\u201d Bridgland said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOverall is that they don\u2019t seem to be very effective in either achieving their goals but they also don\u2019t seem to be harming people,\u201d Bridgland added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trigger warnings were big in the 90s, specifically in online feminist spaces like the magazine Ms. Users on these online spaces would talk about their personal experiences including sensitive topics like sexual assault and eating disorders. They eventually started giving people a heads-up on posts that contained such topics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The heavy usage and evolution of trigger warnings<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Trigger warnings have expanded and since developed, and people should not confuse them with content warnings you see in movies and shows. Content warnings are an age-related restriction, while trigger warnings are a warning before posts and articles. An example would be \u201cTrigger warning: self-harm.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With more triggers popping up over the years, it\u2019s important to know the difference in emotion that comes with them. Newer triggers are often associated with emotions like sadness, depression, social anxiety, among many more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an article in Psychlopaedia, University of Melbourne psychology Prof. Nick Halsam writes that, \u201cthese diverse emotions can be rolled up with fear into an undifferentiated ball of \u2018upset\u2019, \u2018distress\u2019 or \u2018feeling confronted\u2019, but crucial distinctions are overlooked in the process.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s critical to spot the difference between serious triggers and things that people may just take offence to, said trauma researcher Victoria Bridgland. The idea of being \u201ctriggered\u201d is usually an involuntary reaction where the memories come back all at once. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The clinical side of trigger warnings was focused on disorders and past experiences. Using warnings on something that involves \u201ctriggering language\u201d or annoyance cannot be automatically seen as traumatic fear. \u201cIt\u2019s more just like something that could be offensive or make you distressed because it\u2019s an unpleasant topic,\u201d Bridgland said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That being said, trigger warnings have become a \u201cmeme.\u201d It\u2019s used all the time, which makes it hard to distinguish what you should or shouldn\u2019t avoid. Yet, some say that using them has really helped them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are trigger warnings effective?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Regardless of the level of expansion, there are multiple reasons why they are deemed as helpful. People may think that warnings will help those with traumas avoid content that will remind them of unpleasant memories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, according to some experts, actively avoiding triggers will only harm them in the long run, as a person with PTSD goes to therapy to confront their triggers, not avoid them. \u201cI have strong confidence that facing one\u2019s fear is the appropriate course of action,\u201d Jones said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe only way out is through.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Experts in trauma are well aware of this, and there have been multiple studies done on trigger warnings. Some studies show the warnings make the content even more attractive. Although the main aspect of trigger warnings is avoidance, there are limits to what they can and cannot do. There have been discussions over needing a warning that\u2019s more effective, but it\u2019s important to note that people just need to be mindful of the content they are consuming. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy would you rely on other people to make that choice for you or protect you when we don\u2019t rely on that in other situations?\u201d Bridgland said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trigger warnings have become a necessity to some. \u201cIt\u2019s one of those things that you\u2019re damned if you do it, you\u2019re damned if you don\u2019t,\u201d Bridgland said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Mandy Li | Scribe What was once a term coined to warn online users about triggering content has now been tarnished, as trigger warnings expanded beyond trauma. Trigger warnings are statements found in the beginning of the content that alerts the viewer that what they\u2019re about to see contains potentially disturbing material. They essentially […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":3143,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[144],"tags":[175,172,176,173,174,199],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/scribemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/04\/NETFIXED.jpg",2000,647,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/scribemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/04\/NETFIXED-170x120.jpg",170,120,true],"medium":["https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/scribemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/04\/NETFIXED-300x97.jpg",300,97,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/scribemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/04\/NETFIXED-768x248.jpg",696,225,true],"large":["https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/scribemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/04\/NETFIXED-1024x331.jpg",696,225,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/scribemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/04\/NETFIXED-1536x497.jpg",1536,497,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/scribemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/04\/NETFIXED.jpg",2000,647,false],"td_150x0":["https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/scribemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/04\/NETFIXED-150x49.jpg",150,49,true],"td_218x150":["https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/scribemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/04\/NETFIXED-218x150.jpg",218,150,true],"td_300x0":["https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/scribemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/04\/NETFIXED-300x97.jpg",300,97,true],"td_324x400":["https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/scribemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/04\/NETFIXED-324x400.jpg",324,400,true],"td_485x360":["https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/scribemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/04\/NETFIXED-485x360.jpg",485,360,true],"td_696x0":["https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/scribemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/04\/NETFIXED-696x225.jpg",696,225,true],"td_1068x0":["https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/scribemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/04\/NETFIXED-1068x345.jpg",1068,345,true],"td_1920x0":["https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/scribemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/04\/NETFIXED-1920x621.jpg",1920,621,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Scribe Staff","author_link":"https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/scribemag\/author\/scribemag\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Mandy Li | Scribe What was once a term coined to warn online users about triggering content has now been tarnished, as trigger warnings expanded beyond trauma. Trigger warnings are statements found in the beginning of the content that alerts the viewer that what they\u2019re about to see contains potentially disturbing material. They essentially…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/scribemag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3060"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/scribemag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/scribemag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/scribemag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/scribemag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3060"}],"version-history":[{"count":27,"href":"https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/scribemag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3060\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3661,"href":"https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/scribemag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3060\/revisions\/3661"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/scribemag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3143"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/scribemag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3060"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/scribemag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3060"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/scribemag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3060"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}