[Verse 1]
Screen lights flicker with disasters worldwide
But I'm scrolling past the floods to check my vibe
Hurricane hits, I pause for thirty seconds flat
Then switch to earthquakes, my attention's where it's at
Not the crisis closest to my geographic space
But the one with better footage, familiar face
Distance isn't measured in the miles that separate
It's measured in the stories that I can relate
[Chorus]
Bandwidth finite, empathy selective
My heart's got filters, be introspective
Which catastrophes make it through the gate?
The ones that match my demographic slate
Compassion fatigue, is it survival mode?
Or just the way the algorithm's code
Delivers tragedy in endless streams
'Til caring breaks apart my mental seams
[Verse 2]
Algorithm feeds me pain in curated doses
Children overseas versus local park closures
I feel more for the story with the GoFundMe link
Than the genocide that's trending pink
My bandwidth follows patterns I don't want to see
Class and race and proximity to me
The mechanism's honest when I strip it bare
I save my tears for tragedies that look like where I care
[Chorus]
Bandwidth finite, empathy selective
My heart's got filters, be introspective
Which catastrophes make it through the gate?
The ones that match my demographic slate
Compassion fatigue, is it survival mode?
Or just the way the algorithm's code
Delivers tragedy in endless streams
'Til caring breaks apart my mental seams
[Bridge]
Is numbness just protection from the overload?
Ancient brains weren't built for global episodes
Of suffering beamed direct into our palm
But closing off ain't keeping anyone from harm
[Verse 3]
News design maximizes shock without relief
Endless scroll of manufactured grief
No context, just the crisis du jour
Outrage culture leaving hearts too sore
Maybe fatigue's not moral failing pure
But systems built to make us feel unsure
Of when to care and how much energy to spend
When every headline screams "this is the end"
[Verse 4]
Fighting for attention in this crowded space
Each tragedy needs its fifteen minutes' place
Media cycles spin through pain like fashion trends
Last month's crisis now depends on dividend
Corporate sponsors love the clicks that suffering brings
While real people deal with very real things
We consume their trauma like a daily meal
Then wonder why none of it feels real
[Outro]
Reading rooms means reading our own limits too
Honest with the filters we put trauma through
Bandwidth isn't infinite, that's just the truth
Now what do we do with this uncomfortable proof?