Do you trust me? If so, hug me.
Would you hug a stranger?
Hmm, I dig hugs. I appreciate a good hug. I‘m not exactly SUPER hug-forward, but I ain’t hug-shy. I am happy to politely feign not noticing when someone is an awkward hugger (such as: the “let’s-keep-a-pocket-of-air-between-our-bodies” hug or the “limp-arms” hug) because I still appreciate the sentiment behind someone’s willingness to extend physical contact as a way of demonstrating care and trust.
But would I hug a complete stranger standing blindfolded with his arms extended in the middle of Central Square where I live in Cambridge? My gut reaction is: “Um, no, out of my comfort zone.” In this post, I want to talk about a video that went viral on social media that plays out a very similar scenario, but with a surprising and moving outcome.
A “trust experiment” in the center of Paris that went viral
I think many of us still remember the large outpouring of grief, condolences, and solidarity on social media after last November’s Paris terrorist attacks. This included the Red, White, and Blue profile photo filter on Facebook , and the #prayforparis hashtag. Facebook also introduced a “mark safe” feature for Paris residents to inform their networks that they were unharmed. The online aftermath of the tragic attacks demonstrated the multitude of ways social media is used in a time of tragedy.
A video that went viral relating to these events contained the following scene: A man, blindfolded, stood in the Place de la Republique in Paris next to signs that read:
“I’m a Muslim and I’m told I’m a terrorist. I trust you. Do you trust me? If so, hug me.”
Strangers responded with a powerful physical action representative of trust, friendship, and warm welcome: a hug. The video showed strangers lining up to hug the blindfolded man. Reportedly hundreds of Parisians did so.
Versions of the incident captured on video was shared on Facebook and YouTube and reached millions of people. The YouTube video has 2.8M views. The Facebook video has 27.5M views, 267,790 likes, 324,857 shares and 12,000+ comments.
This was also viral beyond the internet, in that it inspired other Muslims in Paris to make the same demonstration in public places. One commentator on the Facebook video remarked that it inspired volunteers to go to Syria with a similar sign, “I am Christian, I am American, I love all Muslims, please hug me. Stop terror.”
Why did this video go viral?
Well-timed and highly relevant: This video came out 5 days after the terror attacks on Paris. It directly related to the terror attacks by both addressing rising anti-Muslim fear, and exhibiting the spirit of courage Parisians showed even in a time of grief.
Remarkable acts between strangers: Jonah Berger in his book, “Contagious: Why Things Catch On” talks about how “inner remarkability” can help to fuel word-of-mouth sharing. This video showed a line of Parisian strangers, hugging a blindfolded man, one at a time. The rare act of physical intimacy between total strangers is what made this remarkable. I’d argue this is similar to the reason Humans of New York also became popular on Facebook: it shows an intimate side to complete strangers by capturing a personal story to accompany each photo.
Emotional resonance and expression: The video triggered feelings of hope, humanity, and trust, at a time when grief and fear weighed heavily upon public sentiment. Sharing the video may have given people a channel through which to express more positive and hopeful emotions, in a way that other news articles or social media content and hashtags did not enable since the mainstream media’s focus was mostly on fear mongering and grief.
Story: People love stories, and research shows people are much more likely to recall stories than facts. This story starts with the exposition of introducing the blindfolded man and then posits a question that represents the climax in the story: will anyone hug this strange man standing in a public square? The resolution is shown in the hugs, one after another, we witness being given in the video. What do we like to do with heartwarming stories? We share them.
Authenticity: This wasn’t a manufactured video by a company, a brand, or a hip music band. The man in the video didn’t film himself. He wasn’t necessarily looking for global social media attention. He isn’t even named. It appears his intentions are genuinely to show care and trust toward the local Parisian people, and to be a voice asking Parisians not to view all Muslims as terrorists. He attracted such a crowd that the media covered it, but this wasn’t pre-orchestrated. The authenticity of the video gives viewers the feeling that they are witnessing genuine interactions between strangers in a real-life, organic scenario. The same way that cute puppy home videos can be so attractive, this video was “real” in a way that made people want to share it.
I was one of the many people who shared this video on Facebook after seeing it. It gave me comfort during a time of grief and when there was (and is) rising religious tension and fear in the United States. The vulnerability and the acts of trust in the video were awe-inspiring for me and I think it is a beautiful example of how social media can amplify human goodness.
This post is part of a blog series for a class I’m taking at MIT Sloan called “Social Media Management.” For this blog, we were asked to analyze a post we shared or viewed on social media that went on to go viral.
