This post by Malaka Gharib of NPR’s Goats and Soda covers the rationale behind a recent joint campaign about the use of social media by volunteers and travelers around the world. The guide (download available here) has been developed by Radi-Aid, a project of the Norwegian Students’ and Academics’ International Assistance Fund (SAIH) that fights stereotypes in aid and development, and by Barbie Savior, an Instagram parody account. The campaigners highlight that while harm may not be intended, many volunteers and travelers often end up sharing images and text that portray local residents as passive, helpless and pitiful and furthering stereotypical imagery of those living in developing economies instead of breaking them down. In addition to this campaign, Radi-Aid also hosted their 5th Annual Awards Ceremony in December where they announced the 2017 winners of the Golden and Rusty Radiators and facilitated a critical public assessment of international development fundraising advertisements with public nominations and voting of those that had the most simplistic messaging with no context and a white savior (nominated for “rusty radiators”) and also voting for the most sophisticated advertisements, which included context and portrayed individuals with agency, dignity and respect (nominated for “sophisticated radiators”).
Find the full NPR story here.
Find the full social media guide here.
Watch the Radi-Aid 2017 awards ceremony here.
Featured image source: Radi-Aid 2017