In November 2024, Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees stated: “We live in an era of relentless emergencies. Of crises without end. In the last few months, conflict, persecution, and violence have forced millions to flee their homes – in Sudan, Ukraine, and most recently in Lebanon. Millions more have been displaced for years, decades even, having fled bloodshed and instability, from Myanmar to the Democratic Republic of Congo, and many other places in between.”
Despite awareness of ongoing conflicts causing forced displacement, there remains a troubling disconnect between observers and the individuals most intimately affected. Refugees facing immense challenges often fade into the background of global consciousness as their struggles are overlooked or perceived as remote and unrelated to the everyday lives of others. Efforts to bridge this emotional and psychological divide have been made, yet the challenge of fostering genuine empathy persists and calls for a new solution.
The portrayal of refugees in the media plays a crucial role in shaping public perception of displaced individuals. Media framing significantly influences societal attitudes, either reinforcing stereotypes or encouraging reforms. The potential to guide the actions of policymakers and shape both the intent and outcomes of migration-related policies calls for authentic channels of information to the public.
While the effects of print, television, and radio representations of refugees have been thoroughly examined, social media has created a new forum that is less understood.
Massification of Refugees
Coverage of forced displacement does not originate with refugees themselves most of the time. Instead, news articles and reports project images of large groups of displaced people either in camps or traveling to safety, aiming to allow observers to conceptualize forced displacement situations. This journalistic practice lacks nuance and contributes to the “massification” of refugee groups – in other words, they fail to properly distinguish groups of refugees as individuals and dignify them with personal identities. These harmful practices other, dehumanize, and stereotype refugees, propagate misinformation and contribute to the detrimental separation.
Efforts to combat this style of reporting have prompted journalists and photographers to seek individual refugees to set the stage for their work. Oftentimes, articles open by featuring the quote or image of a displaced person. Appealing to the “identifiable victim effect ”, authors exploit images and phrases of refugees to appeal to high levels of interaction and engagement from readers and viewers. The “identifiable victim effect” explains that reports on the plight of a single, identifiable individual, rather than abstract groups or statistics, garner a higher level of emotional salience from the public which makes them more willing to act in response.
While the inclusion of names and faces of displaced people may increase empathy amongst viewers, this type of storytelling still puts the agency of the subject in deference to the agenda of the author, stifling the ability of refugees to convey their honest thoughts, emotions, and ideas concerning their circumstances. This can lead to audiences perceiving refugees and forcibly displaced people as passive victims, rather than as individuals making active decisions and navigating complex, evolving circumstances.
Does the Use of Social Media Amplify Refugee Narratives?
The means in which refugees have been presented in formal media can be starkly contrasted to the current environment in which refugees control their own narratives on social media. Where traditional reporting methods have failed to accurately depict refugees, social media has become the medium to hear from refugees directly.
The fact that people on the move use technology is not surprising, considering the rapid growth and increasing affordability of smartphones. Recent advancements enable refugees to better communicate with loved ones back home, with networks sharing vital immigration information, and as advocates with individuals in distant locations.
In some cases, what begins as a refugee sharing their personal experience becomes something much larger. While documenting conflict, their search for safety, and their navigation of foreign immigration processes, many people accumulate social media followings and gain notoriety within refugee communities. Eventually, their following can grow so substantially that individuals become symbols to those outside of the refugee community, as well.
The Story of Manuel Monterrosa from Venezuela
“My name is Manuel Monterrosa. I am crossing the Darien Gap, one of the most dangerous and feared borders in the world. Come with me on this journey as I show you how I did it.”
Speaking to viewers in Spanish, Manuel Monterrosa began his well-known YouTube series documenting his migration through the dangerous jungle known as the Darien Gap.
Like millions of other migrants, Manuel says that various factors, including crises in Venezuela, the demand for cheap labor in the United States, and unsafe immigration policies that force people onto illegal routes are what led him to traverse the jungle while fleeing his homeland. En route, Manuel recorded his experiences and edited his videos on his iPhone, preserving an authentic account of what migrants face while traveling through Colombia and Panama. Publicly posting his content, Manuel provided valuable coverage of the migration process, shared information regarding the demanding and dangerous passage, and helped others evaluate whether they were willing to risk their safety and able to face the route’s demands.
Manuel's personal presence in each one of his videos plays an integral role in his content. Instead of relying upon second or third hand accounts of what the migration process entails, Manuel’s online presence uniquely exhibits an individual and personal narrative of migration, providing the public with a more genuine understanding by including the various perspectives of people he met along the way.
His personal reflections are also insightful, raw, and human. In his second episode, he begins saying: "Gentlemen, passing the Darien is a crazy...” he pauses, seemingly gathering his thoughts and composing himself after all he had witnessed before resuming, “experience. The things we are seeing.” Getting choked up, he turns the camera away from himself and returns to walking. Other times, Manuel contemplates vivid and sometimes graphic content. His eventual success culminates into a powerful illustration, one that reflects the true challenges of displacement and prompts empathy from viewers.
As a result of the widespread popularity of his posts, Manuel has benefited financially. His videos continue to attract views, qualifying him for monetary compensation through various platforms, such as YouTube, which provide financial rewards to creators based on audience engagement and overall reach. Taking control of both his narrative and his finances, Manuel’s control over his own life has greatly improved.
Additionally, Manuel’s social media account has also become a forum of discussion that includes both potential migrants and those who would have otherwise gone uninformed of migration along the Pan-American Highway. Refugee generated content, such as what Manuel has successfully produced, educates the public and dispels ignorant rhetoric surrounding who refugees are and why they are risking their lives to flee.
The Story of Motaz Azaiza from Palestine
“I was creating my freedom with my hands in photography.”
Motaz Azaiza, an independent Palestinian photojournalist, had long shared photos of life in Gaza with what was then a following of 25,000 on Instagram. He began by capturing powerful images of nature, stunning portraiture, and wedding ceremonies of his neighbors and friends. Since Hamas' attacks against Israel on October 7, 2023, the fallout of war has resulted in Gaza's death toll surpassing 44,000 people, shifting Motaz’s attention and camera lens to the destruction of his home and the suffering of civilians.
Motaz’s images have provided the outside world with a window to the reality of war and devastation in Gaza. Over the past year, his following grew to more than 17 million people, enabling him to showcase graphic content including battles and bombings, families fleeing from shelters in hospitals and schools, encourage greater action of aid and assistance groups, and build a community of support within Gaza. Even after having to flee Palestine due to risks to his own life, Motaz did not abandon his conviction to share news with his social media following and promote pathways to peace.
In 2024, he received the TNT World Citizen’s Communicator Award for his work, honored specifically for “harnessing diverse communication tools, such as the internet and social media” in making his connections with others and addressing humanitarian issues. He has met with many government officials, including Danish Foreign Minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, partnered with The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, Amnesty International, Violet Syria, as well as several appearances and speeches at many educational forums and conferences around the world.
Despite being named one of the 100 Most Influential People of 2024by Time Magazine and winning the 2024 Freedom Prize, Motaz remains disappointed with the fact that despite providing unfiltered content of civilian devastation in Gaza, “ Nothing changed.”
On February 27, 2024, Motaz shared to his Instagram: “I literally can’t [feel] any kind of happiness, I only feel something is squeezing my heart, chest and stomach.” Having publicly conveyed his personal loss of friends, family, and neighbors who had been displaced repeatedly or killed without protection, Motaz lamented, “I was filming this, and I was showing the world, and no one stopped it.”
His vulnerability and documentation have enabled millions to recognize the true tragedy of violence and displacement. Leveraging social media, Motaz has established that civilians, not just politicians and news outlets, can provide informed and vital information to the outside world in real time.
Use of Social Media and its Implications
Social media has emerged as a powerful tool for refugees and migrants navigating the complexities of the immigration process. Whether attempting to avoid exploitative smugglers and identify legal pathways to citizenship or maintain connections with distant loved ones, these platforms facilitate communication and increase access to critical resources.
However, social media is not solely utilized by migrants; it also plays a significant role in shaping perceptions among individuals who are far removed from the realities of conflict and displacement. The influx of information about immigration reform, unauthorized border crossings, and pervasive stereotypes often perpetuate divisive narratives.
Social media has the potential to counteract these harmful tendencies. Offering authentic insights into the lives and humanity of individual refugees and migrants, these platforms can shift the conversation and encourage a more compassionate and nuanced understanding of immigration. Witnessing the lived experiences of refugees and migrants through their own voices provides a profound and powerful perspective; one that can be amplified and shared with ease.
In an increasingly digital world, where social media occupies a central role in shaping public discourse, it is imperative to utilize these platforms to enable refugees and migrants to represent their own stories and interests. Social media can serve as a tool for greater empathy, tolerance, and inclusion, fostering a society that values individuals for their unique contributions rather than reducing them to statistics or stereotypes.
Author
Emma Wright
Staff Assistant Intern, RAFDI
Refugee and Forced Displacement Initiative
The Refugee and Forced Displacement Initiative (RAFDI) provides evidence-based analyses that translate research findings into practice and policy impact. Established in 2022 as a response to an ever-increasing number of people forcibly displaced from their homes by protracted conflicts and persecution, RAFDI aims to expand the space for new perspectives, constructive dialogue and sustainable solutions to inform policies that will improve the future for the displaced people. Read more
