As she prepares to begin her senior year, Vij found the opportunity to describe her observations in a way that she hopes will help others see how online interactions could be affecting our society.
An email message from the John Locke Institute at Oxford University in England prompted her to put her observations into words. She would be among the 7,000 students from around the world, ages 13 to 18, to have her work evaluated by professors from Oxford and Cambridge universities.
“It kind of seemed like coincidence, so I decided that this would be a wonderful opportunity to further my interests. Not only further my interests, but have my work assessed by experts in the field,” she said.
The John Locke Institute 2022 Global Essay Competition challenges students to present their ideas on philosophy, politics, economics, history, psychology, theology and law.
This month Vij learned that her essay, “The Digital Era and the Decline of Empathy,” was one of about 200 works that the judges deemed the best of 2022. She said that the opportunity to write on the topic was an adventure in researching and then presenting her findings on a modern-day social issue.
“After the pandemic social platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, all of these platforms they became the main source of our communication, and our connection,” she said. “Even work and school institutions began using online platforms like Zoom, or Skype or Google Meet.”
“How is our life changing due to these different tools? Because of the COVID-19 pandemic we’re turning to these platforms more than before, so there’s kind of this dependency on them. I just became interested in the connection online versus the connection offline.”
She found that there had been plenty of research into the topic, so she had to look through a lot of material to find the ideas that addressed her premise regarding communication through online and virtual formats. Then she had to put her findings into 2,000 words or less – her essay came out to 1,999 words – after delving so deeply into the topic.
“This technology will only evolve. I really wanted to understand how in the future, will technology really be able to replicate offline connection, or will it never be able to reach that level?” she said.
“As I did more research I was able to come up with specific topics, such as the decline of empathy, the increase of narcissism using social networking. A lot of studies that I researched already covered these things, but in my essay I really tie them together to talk about how the connection, human interaction online, is essentially limited and it won’t ever be able to reach authentic human connection. That was the most fascinating part of it for me.”
Vij heads out to Oxford on Oct. 1 for a conference where she will meet the judges and the other finalists in the contest for the top essay on psychology. She could win a $2,000 scholarship applicable to any John Locke Institute program, and the top overall essayist wins a $10,000 prize. The institute will also publish the essays after following the awards ceremonies.
Regardless of how the final judging turns she expects the trip to Oxford to be as rewarding as the efforts that gained her the opportunity.
“These are brilliant minds from all over the world who are so dedicated to their work and so interested in specific topics. I think it will be such a fascinating environment to be in. I love being around people who are that passionate and committed to what they do.”