Humanizing Data
Working in partnership with Facebook, Stanford University’s Persuasive Tech Lab, and Social Interactive, Hiker designed and developed a global media program to translate Facebook friending across international conflict borders into stories about real people.
Data as Narrative Discovery
Friends Without Borders was ignited after Facebook engineers developed an analytical tool to measure friending across geopolitical conflict zones, only to discover that cross-conflict friendships were profoundly increasing. With a technology grant from the United Nations, our team built an innovative participant-driven campaign to explore Facebook friending as a tool for peace.
Using Programmatic to Reach the Right Audience
Harnessing Facebook’s powerful dataset, the campaign launched with programmatic advertising to individuals who specifically lived in (and had Friends on the other side of) four geo-political conflict zones. The request: nominate you and your friend to be Peace Champions.
Knowing When to Use First-Person Documentary
With eight Peace Champions selected, Hiker provided training and technology to have each of them capture their own lives. First-person documentary allows for unparalleled intimacy at the expense of elevated image and audio quality. We chose that intimacy. Hiker arranged for the return of the cameras, and edited the pieces for Facebook to share.
“I learned to look past the prejudice I personally had. I never had anything against Greece and Greek people but I learned to love Kurdish people, Armenian people. I started to make more friends and listen to their stories, their religious beliefs and all. ”
– – ZEYNEP—PEACE CHAMPION, TURKEY
The Larger Story
Hiker also created a short documentary with project leads from Social Interactive, Stanford, and Facebook to create a view of the entire program.
The Results
The program was a huge success. Hiker’s project goals were to humanize a data discovery and in so doing, influence participants and institutions to elevate that narrative into their values. The Peace Champions continue to effect change in their communities. Social Interactive hosts the program’s Facebook page (now called Peacetide) and recognizes the Champions at Facebook.com/peacetide. And the project launched Facebook’s peace efforts, which are now continuously measured and captured here.
“I learnt more about India, and got to share more of Pakistan to the world. It’s also opened up new doors, helping me establish more contacts from within Pakistan and India.”
– GHALIB—PEACE CHAMPION, Pakistan
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