Abstract
The representation of humanitarian crises has transformed significantly with the rise of social media, where victims equipped with smartphones become witnesses, creating real-time narratives of violence, displacement, and survival. This study examines the architectural dimensions of thirteen contemporary crises, ranging from Ukraine, Sudan, and Lebanon to the Darién Gap, Bangladesh, and the DRC, and investigates how social media mediates global attention and empathy. Analyzing over 7,000 images from 200 accounts—including those of NGOs, reporters, and anonymous civilians—this research identifies two key dynamics: the standardization of global attention through visual imagery and the embodied portrayal of suffering within architectural contexts. Social media platforms enable the dissemination of localized conflicts on a global scale, yet algorithms often prioritize uniform narratives, eroding nuance and amplifying biases. At the same time, architecture emerges as a witness to humanitarian crises, situating asymmetries of power, space, and survival. The study questions whether digital imagery signals a new phase of mediatization, paralleling shifts from Capa’s war photography to the televised Vietnam War. Social networks now interlace crisis content with personal media, as seen during the Israel-Hamas conflict, reshaping public perceptions of humanitarianism. By juxtaposing institutional narratives with individual accounts, the research highlights tensions between standardized and localized representations of crises. This analysis underscores the dual role of social media: as a tool for mediated empathy and as a gatekeeper shaping collective memory. Ultimately, it calls for a critical understanding of architecture’s visibility within humanitarian narratives, advocating for a more nuanced and localized portrayal of global emergencies.
Presenters
Javier Fernandez ContrerasDean of Department, Space Design / Interior Architecture, HEAD – Genève (HES-SO), Genève (fr), Switzerland Greder Damien
PhD Candidate, Space Design / Interior Architecture, HEAD – Genève, (HES-SO), Switzerland
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
ARCHITECTURE, HUMANITARIANISM, SOCIAL MEDIA
