Humanizing stigmatized places: Inter-group contact and attitude change toward Pakistan and Iran in the ‘Humans of New York’ Facebook space

Abstract

The conventional characterization of Pakistan and Iran as harborers of terrorism and violence cultivates an irrational fear of these places among Western audiences and has consequently dehumanized them. This research study considers the Humans of New York (HONY) Facebook page and applies observational netnographic methods of inquiry to the posts published about ordinary citizens of Pakistan and Iran. The results reveal that putting a human face on a stigmatized group enables people to relate to the group in a more humane way. The HONY blog makes people realize that the prevailing media images may not be truly representative of other countries. Lastly, the positive reception of Pakistan and Iran in the virtual space of HONY enhanced the citizens' identification with their countries. This paper offers theoretical and practical implications to the place branding domain in reference to countries suffering from image crisis.