When Human Suffering Becomes Content
A group of Burundian men perform traditional drumming at Gishora Drum Sanctuary, one of Burundi’s most significant cultural sites and home to the country’s renowned UNESCO-recognised drumming tradition.  Β·  Photo by Gary Krosin

When Human Suffering Becomes Content

Abdulrahman Abdulsamad June 2, 2026 3 min read

While following a travel and tourism creator during his visit to Burundi, a country that is ranked among the poorest countries in the world despite its picturesque nature and rich culture, I was struck by a shot that raised important ethical questions in me. In one scene, the content creator was demanding that a local seller return the rest of the meager amount of no more than three US cents on the grounds that it was not usable, while the camera was simultaneously focusing on the manifestations of poverty and the reflection of harsh economic conditions on the Faces of the inhabitants and the details of their daily lives.

This shot made me think about the boundaries between tourism or legitimate media documentation, and turning human suffering into an attractive material for viewership and revenue. There is a clear difference between a content creator conveying the reality of life as it is for the purpose of understanding and awareness, and the suffering of the people themselves becoming the main product on which the episode is built and the story is structured.

This issue is even more sensitive when the creator comes from a country with high incomes or from a more prosperous economic environment than the society they are visiting. In this case, not only does there have a camera documenting reality, but there is also a clear economic disparity between who tells the story and who tells their story. As the creator leaves to gain more followers, financial returns, and career opportunities, the people who appear in the content continue to face the same circumstances that were at the heart of the episode.

This is not to say that portraying poverty or talking about social challenges is unethical in itself. The media has always played an important role in highlighting humanitarian issues that may not receive enough attention. But the difference lies in the way it is told, and in the amount of respect given to the people being portrayed. When a person is presented as an individual with a full life, ambitions, hopes, and challenges, the content contributes to building a deeper and more equitable understanding of reality. Just a symbol of poverty or a tool to surprise the public, the line between awareness and exploitation becomes blurred.

In the age of digital platforms, where shocking stories and impactful scenes are rewarded with more reach and engagement, content creators face an increasingly ethical challenge. The question is not only about their right to convey reality, but also how to convey this reality, and who benefits from this process. Is the goal to introduce the audience to a different society and its complex circumstances, or is poverty used as a visual element to ensure more visibility and interaction?

Perhaps the problem is not the portrayal of poverty itself, but the way it is presented. The more content preserves the dignity of people and gives them space to appear as human beings with their own stories and experiences, rather than as abstract human cases, the closer it is to its true awareness role. When suffering becomes a media commodity consumed in order to achieve dissemination, content loses part of its moral value, whatever the intentions of its creator.