New paper / The 21st century bystander effect happens … / The Conversation / 05.06.2014

The 21st century bystander effect happens every day online

Vincent F. Hendricks
The Conversation 05.06.2014

If you’re going to fall, injure yourself and need help, where is a good place to do it? Should you choose a busy thoroughfare or a deserted backstreet?

Statistics and experiments in social psychology will tell you that if you need help, you should avoid dropping in a busy street, even if hundreds of people are passing through.

This is because of a phenomenon known as the [bystander effect](http://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/bystander-effect). The more individuals gathered in one place, the less chance there is of one of them coming to the aid of a person in need. When an emergency situation occurs, it’s more likely that someone will come to the rescue if there are fewer or almost no witnesses.

And in the 21st century, when our thoroughfares are online and on social networks, millions of people are effectively passing each other by every minute.

Read the rest of the paper here