In the age of YouTube, social media and tiny cameras, videos of social experiments are growing more common. We chose a handful that really stood out this year.
STREET HARASSMENT RECORDED
Woman gets harassed over 100 times walking on streets in New York City
Arguably one of the most talked-about social experiment videos of the year, the video above shows a woman walking through the streets of New York City as she gets verbally harassed over 100 times in a span of 10 hours.
Produced as a public service announcement for Hollaback!, a non-profit organization that aims to end street harassment, the video highlights the harassment that women face on a daily basis. It sparked a heated conversation around the world, as well as some spin-off experiments.
Another ‘catcall’ social experiment in Auckland has opposite result
One recreation of the video came from Auckland, orchestrated by the New Zealand Herald. The newspaper set up a similar situation with a woman walking around the city for five hours, only to be approached just twice.
The woman in this video told the newspaper that walking around Auckland felt safer and more comfortable than her experiences while living in New York City for five years.
Disabled man captures 3 hours of mocking, staring while travelling Toronto
When Toronto comedian Andre Arruda saw the polarizing reaction that the original street harassment video generated, he wanted to show the world the reality of his life as a man with a disability.
For three hours, Arruda travelled through downtown Toronto as his friend captured several instances of mocking, staring and verbal harassment.
- Trudeau tight-lipped on potential U.S. TikTok ban as key bill passes
- Canadian man dies during Texas Ironman event. His widow wants answers as to why
- Hundreds mourn 16-year-old Halifax homicide victim: ‘The youth are feeling it’
- On the ‘frontline’: Toronto-area residents hiring security firms to fight auto theft
TESTING DOUBLE STANDARDS
Australian TV host wears same suit for a year to highlight sexism
In a show of support for his co-host who received a harsh viewer letter about her style, Australian morning show host Karl Stefanovic decided to wear the same blue suit on air for one year to point out the reality of sexism in media.
Over the course of the year, Stefanovic’s Today co-host Lisa Wilkinson was regularly judged on her appearance while his was never brought up.
Until he revealed what he had done, his singular outfit choice was never even noticed.
Homeless man vs. businessman social experiment goes viral
A French video maker struck a nerve with viewers of his social experiment. It was designed to show that appearances do matter, even in the case of a life-or-death situation.
Dressed in ragged clothing and a toque the video maker collapses on a street in Paris while not a single person stops to help him. Some look and pause, but no one asks him if he is alright.
He recreates the dramatic fall in the same area, but dressed in a smart business suit. Immediately strangers stop to see if he needs help and many gather around, concerned.
TESTING OUR WILL TO INTERVENE
Bystanders react to sexual assault experiment
This polarizing video that tests the extent of a bystander’s willingness to help was created by recording mimicked sounds that could be perceived as rape and playing them in a public bathroom stall.
The video shows some men rushing to the stall to help the “victim” while others silently step out of the bathroom.
Once the men who rushed towards the assault open the stall door, they’re greeted with a mirror and a message that reads: This is what a rapist could look like.
Inspired by the true story of a rape survivor, the video now has over 8.5 million views on YouTube.
Abuse in an elevator experiment
A pair of video makers in Sweden set up a social experiment that may be disturbing to some viewers.
A hidden camera installed in an elevator captured a couple fighting to the point where the man gets verbally and physically abusive with the woman.
Disturbingly, the video shows over 50 people witness the abuse and only one intervenes.
Hamilton, Ont. racism experiment
After a gunman shot his way through Parliament Hill in Ottawa in October, the discourse of prejudice against Muslims in Canada flared up again.
In order to expose this, three filmmakers from Mississauga, Ont. set up a social experiment in Hamilton, Ont. where one man dressed up in traditional Islamic wear while another verbally abused him with racial slurs.
The filmmakers even risked their own blood in order to prove that Canadians are mostly intolerant of racism.
Bullying response experiment
Teens from a high school in B.C. were inspired to create this video when they questioned whether anyone would take action if they witnessed bullying.
Students Teaghan Trewhitt and Navraj Raike played out realistic-looking scenes of bullying, while their three friends recorded from afar.
Over the course of two hours, some people intervened while others turned a blind eye.
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