/// APOLOGY
名人的网络道歉 你还会信吗？
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在这个社交媒体占据人们生活重心的世界里，一旦爆出各类事情——像大规模裁员、婚外情、发表种族主义言论，甚至是违法犯罪这类事情，势必会看到相关的道歉声明。
It's a change from the world of sterile press releases from publicity reps. Instead, public figures now use social media to convey their contrition. They intend these apologies to meet their audiences where they are – be it Instagram, YouTube, TikTok or X – with the hope the platforms will help to mimic the good faith of a face-to-face mea culpa.
名人在社交媒体上忏悔——这与枯燥无味的公关稿时代截然不同。公众人物希望道歉能直接出现在观众眼前——无论是通过 Ins、油管、抖音还是 X（推特）—— 这样能效仿当面认错的效果，以示诚意。
然而，一些专家表示，这种做法已经改变了我们和道歉的关系。但这种变化并不总是积极的，而且常常使道歉的效果甚微。
'Sorry' goes social
对不起社交
Karina Schumann, an associate professor in social psychology at the University of Pittsburgh, US, feels social media has helped to create an environment of accountability – if only because it has created so much awareness of what public figures are saying and doing all the time.
美国匹兹堡大学社会心理学副教授卡琳娜·舒曼认为，社交媒体创造了一个能进行舆论监督、问责的环境——哪怕只是因为社交媒体让人们更关注公众人物的一举一动。
This is "in large part because everything about peoples' lives is so public", she explains. "Because of that, I think there's less of a formal procedure around these apologies, and they've become almost like an everyday thing."
她解释说，这主要是因为社交媒体让名人的私人生活更容易曝光。“但也正因如此，道歉变得廉价，成为了常态。”
Schumann says public figures have moved their "sorry" to social media because winning back a fan base is often the fastest way to save their reputations.
舒曼还说，公众人物选择社交媒体而非其他渠道进行道歉，是因为粉丝都活跃在上面，而挽回粉丝是挽救声誉最快的方式。
The public knows that these celebrities are apologising to their fans, but they're apologising to their sponsors, they're apologising to their stakeholders
表面上明星们是在向粉丝道歉，但实际上挽回了粉丝就是挽回了赞助商
——卡琳娜·舒曼
韩国外交部长官朴振就釜山申办 2030 年世界博览会失败一事向韩国国民表达了歉疚。 (Credit: 韩联社)
The 'Age of Apology'
“道歉的时代”
Social media apologies tap into the easy shareability traditional media outlets lack. Schumann believes this ease of distribution has created an expectation that celebrity apologies are the default.
在社交媒体上道歉的传播远比传统媒体要简单得多。舒曼认为，这种便捷性让人觉得名人道歉理所当然。
This becomes a kind of apology overload, with one post after another increasingly devaluing the act of apologising at all, a concept known as "normative dilution".
当道歉过了度，一篇又一篇的道歉看起来越来越一文不值，这种现象叫做“道歉稀释”*。
译注：道歉稀释，即在某个领域或方面，规范或标准的弱化或降低。举例来说，如果某一行业原本有一套明确的道德规范，但随着时间推移或其他因素的影响，这些规范变得不那么明确或执行起来更加宽松，那么在这个行业中发生了规范的稀释。
Singer Lizzo issued a statement on Instagram after being named in a lawsuit that accused her of creating a hostile work environment (Credit: Getty Images)
歌手丽佐被网友指责“把工作环境搞得乌烟瘴气”后，在Ins上发文澄清。
Apologies 'acknowlogies'
道歉稀释
Credit：BBC
尽管生硬的公关确实无效，但得承认，无处不在的网络道歉可能也好不了多少。
With the influx of public apologies, people have grown more sceptical – and more attuned to notes of artifice, says pop culture critic Zarinah. In her pop culture coverage, she analyses how effective a public figure's statement is. She deducts points when they do what she calls "an acknowlogy", in which the person essentially acknowledges a misstep exits and they played a role in it, but don't ever actually say "I'm sorry" to anyone they may have harmed.
流行文化评论家扎里纳说，每天浏览各种花式道歉，让人们愈发怀疑其真实性，也更善于发现设计过的痕迹。在流行文化报道中，她分析了道歉声明的有效程度。她发现，如果他们承认了所做作为，基本上只会承认他们确实失误了，而不会对伤害到的人说“对不起”。
Ingall has a similar grading system: "bad apology bingo cards". That's where she notes carefully composed phrases meant to avoid any admission of guilt, or ones that overuse has largely rendered meaningless. She points to examples such as, "I am a father of daughters" and "I was young then and things were very different in my day."
另一位评论家英格尔的评价标准也类似：她有一份“糟糕的道歉话术”手册。手册里记录了精心设计、咬文嚼字、绕过认错的措辞，还有一直兜圈子的废话。她举了一些例子，比如“我上有老下有小”、“那时我还很年轻，我们那时不一样”。
Still, social media apologies may not be entirely pointless. Ingall believes these posts of contrition can serve as a teaching tool – she says it's important to realise that, despite the apology fatigue, some words are genuine. "I don't want us to have apology fatigue, because this is something that's so important to human relationships."
不过，社交媒体上的道歉可能并非毫无意义。英格尔相信，这些道歉声明可以告诉大家：尽管人们都看腻了道歉，但有些话还是真实的。“我不希望我们厌倦道歉，因为说对不起在人际关系里非常重要。”
重点词汇
Mea culpa
拉丁语短语，翻译为“我坦白”。通过祈祷，个人向神认罪并自愿承担自己的罪。
attune
使协调，使适应，使和谐 to bring into harmony; to make receptive or aware.
例句：The training program is designed to help employees attune themselves to the company's new policies.
这个培训计划旨在帮助员工更好地与公司的新政策相协调。
END
原文链接：
https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20230821-why-you-rarely-believe-celebrity-apologies-on-social-media
编译 | 陈宇嘉
排版 | 陈宇嘉
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