Heartbreaking vs. Heartwarming Facebook Advertisements by Nonprofits to Help the Rohingya Refugees

Bibliographic Data

ID6086086
AuthorsSyed Atiq Hussain (0000-0002-2704-4551), Helen Wieffering
Year2021
Volume41
Issue1
Pages34-45
Publication date2021-01-02
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueInstitute of Muslim Minority Affairs Journal (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0266-6952 • E-ISSN: 1469-9591
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/13602004.2021.1903163
OpenAlexW3142303605
LanguageEN
Citations received2

It is a common observation to see Muslim communities affected by violence and mass migrations. This is often followed by international nonprofits running online campaigns to receive charitable donations. Specifically, the Rohingya refugee crisis spurred Facebook advertisements based on negative emotional appeals. We argue that such advertisements make viewers emotionally numb to the victims. We propose that viewers will respond more altruistically when presented with solutions-oriented information. To test this assumption, we conducted a between-group experiment (n = 102) manipulating message valence (positive vs. negative) of a Facebook advertisement. Results indicate that participants in the positive condition expressed more positive emotions and that nonprofits should cease creating heartbreaking advertisements when similar levels of empathy can be evoked from heartwarming advertisements. Participants in both conditions expressed similar empathy, trust, and intentions to donate. The study offers implications to positively frame the Muslim communities affected by violence on social media

Advertising · Business · Empathy · Media studies · Political science · Refugee · Refugee crisis · Social media · Sociology · Valence (chemistry · Law · Media, Religion, Digital Communication · Psychology · Social and Intergroup Psychology · Social Psychology · Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence

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