“I think these videos can create narratives about how we should help the deserving poor,” says Yale professor Michael Kraus, a social psychologist who studies inequality. , said. “But it’s all worth it, and individual acts of philanthropy are not the solution to poverty.” “Deserving poor” is an ancient concept, codified in Poor laws of England’s Elizabethan time, that is designed to distinguish between poor people who are “to blame” for their plight and those who have no right to help. TikTokkers rewarding helpful homeless people is said to lead to the idea that some people deserve welfare more than others.
Kraus is troubled by these TikToks. “They attacked me as deeply dehumanizing. Do the people in the video agree to use this way? With that amount of money can they agree? “If they say no, do they deserve more mercy? I think the answers to these questions are troubling.”
However, other scholars note that these videos can have a positive effect on viewers. Pat Barclay is an evolutionary psychologist at the University of Guelph who has studied “competitive altruism“And the ways it can be exploited to promote generosity. Barclay said TikToks like Dereniowski’s can show kids that “helping others pays” and that it’s “safe” to do so as well. He added that these videos can encourage viewers to give to strangers in need.
“If we find someone useful and then get recognized for it, then we are more likely to be helpful,” he said. “This raises the bar for what is expected of us: We can’t just sit back and be selfish if others are too helpful — we look stingy in comparison. So this makes observers need to ‘up their game.’
Arguably, however, the influencers themselves benefit the most from these videos — earning fame and fortune for their deeds. Deborah Small is a professor of psychology at Wharton who studies philanthropy, ethics, and pro-social behaviour. Small has researched the ways that we evaluate other people’s motives to give to charity — ultimately, we’re being skeptical of people with seemingly selfish motives. However, she notes, when people donate money online and tell others about it on social media, “it’s good for charity,” as it spurs other donations.
“We are trying to encourage people to tell others about their acts of generosity, when people are reluctant to do so because it seems pretentious and inauthentic,” says Small. “Is your charity sharing right or wrong? If you’re thinking about what it means in terms of your motives, that seems wrong – but if you think about it in terms of the impact it can have, it seems to be the morally right thing to do. virtue should do. “
As a result, videos like Dereniowski’s can have a positive impact, inspiring viewers to give to those in need. From a purely consequentialist point of view, the people who received the money changed their lives regardless of the influencer’s motives (and the complex questions of philanthropy raised by the encounter) . However, as these videos became even more popular — in late May, Dereniowski interview on talk show Piers Morgan Uncensored—We should be wary of their potential impact. At worst, such videos can lead viewers to “check out” the homeless before providing them with money, casting out antiquated ideas about deserving poor people. At best, they promote individual acts of philanthropy through greater structural and political change.
