For those that are not suffering, we encounter suffering through the media. But how is this suffering presented and represented within the media? Is it presented at all? As outsiders how do we begin to understand what it is like to experience this suffering?
The common critique on representations of suffering are that the media presents spectacles designed to make the reader feel sad and feel the sweetness of having shown empathy. Threadgold’s (2015) article critiques the inherently distorted presentation of disadvantage by the advantaged,
Utopian critiques of representations of suffering claim they are presented to give power to victims, raise awareness of suffering and provide a witness to those struggling. Alcorn’s (2015) article notes that whilst many representations of suffering exploit its subjects, poverty is a little-understood issue that deserves attention. But what happens when the media fails to present the suffering at all? This is what happened recently with Uber drivers in India.
The suffering of Uber drivers in India:
I have just recently spent five weeks living in a rural village just outside Bangalore, India and have witnessed first-hand the suffering of Uber drivers. This is an excellent example to explore the ways in which those suffering are misrepresented within the media…
When Uber decided to expand into the Indian market, it offered high incentives and high payments (surge pricing). People gave up their jobs and took to driving for Uber in the hope of making more money for their families. These people were struggling to make ends meet with their current income and hoped that Uber would alleviate some of their struggle.
After Uber had attracted enough drivers the organisation cut all driver incentives and raised the fares it charged passengers. In some rides drivers were earning as little as 10 percent of fare income whilst ride fares had risen to 1.5 rupees per minute of travel from 1 rupee (Shah 2017). At this point, drivers were making less than they needed to support their families, whilst Uber was making more profits. Uber drivers were now making less than auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers, and had reduced demand for their services. It was at this point that Uber drivers across India decided to strike- to encourage Uber to be accountable for their actions, to increase driver payment and provide better working agreements. Most Indian Uber drivers have this as their primary job, and were thus sacrificing their main source of income in return for the hope of better income to support their families. Those that did not strike were those who simply could not afford to make this monetary sacrifice, and continued to drive during the strike to ensure their families could survive.
Representations of their struggle:
There were many articles published that completely ignored the drivers’ struggle and suffering, focusing instead on how hard it is to order an Uber trip. See the headlines, excerpts and images below for examples:
“Cab strike partially called off… commuters who have been facing hardship in hiring cabs for the last three days, may have some respite from tomorrow.”- Times of India.
There were many articles that portrayed the drivers as aggressive, ignorant, and again, ignored their struggle. For example:
“Uber drivers are just an unhappy lot in this country” – Mashable
“Uber drivers in India have joined the worldwide commotion in slamming the ride-hailing service for not treating them as employees. Drivers with Uber and its local rival Ola refused to end their strike against the company for a fifth day”- Mashable
Even Uber failed to represent their struggle on their website and media releases. On the Uber India website there are no profiles or stories of Indian drivers, there are only stories from drivers whose lives are much more than Uber driving and do not depend on Uber for their family’s sole income.
What do these misrepresentations tell us?
Each representation is one-sided and omits so many parts of these Indian drivers’ stories.
Representations of suffering in the media are deliberately designed to present characters in certain ways. The representation of Uber drivers in India fails to depict the “grinding, living depression” experienced by those suffering (Hall 2016). There are many stories waiting to be told to audiences that will appreciate them, but yet the media are unwilling to present them?
If we do not see the suffering, does that mean it does not exist, and we can escape the obligation to help? Are these misrepresentations designed to distance privileged readers from the suffering itself?
This contemporary example allows us to see where misrepresentations may exist, and the people they ignore. As we now understand, it is important to reflect and think critically about the media representations, especially on issues of great importance.
Moving forward, we need to “shift the way communities are portrayed and media is produced, advocate for communities to be brought into the conversation about how they are represented” if we want to bring awareness and understanding to those in suffering. “We need to co-create stories with our partner communities, and build avenues for us to listen to their voices” (Reboot 2013).
Reference List:
Alcorn, G 2015, ‘Struggle Street is only poverty porn if we enjoy watching, then turn away’, The Guardian, viewed 22 March 2017.
Balachandran, M 2017, ‘Uber and Ola drivers in India are now aggressively demanding better pay and working conditions’, Quartz, viewed 22 March 2017, <https://qz.com/908802/uber-and-ola-drivers-in-india-are-now-aggressively-demanding-better-pay-and-working-conditions/>.
Hall, R 2016, ‘#BCM310 – Poverty Porn’s Poor Audience’, Unicorn Dispatches, viewed 22 March, <https://unicorndispatches.wordpress.com/2016/03/22/bcm310-poverty-porns-poor-audience/>.
PTI, ‘Cab strike of Ola, Uber drivers called off partially in Delhi-NCR’, Times of India, viewed 22 March 2017, <http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/cab-strike-of-ola-uber-drivers-called-off-partially-in-delhi-ncr/articleshow/57113527.cms>.
Reboot, S 2013, ‘Poverty Porn and a new way to regard social impact’, Good, viewed 22 March 2017, <https://www.good.is/articles/poverty-porn-and-a-new-way-to-regard-social-impact>.
Shah, A 2017, ‘Analysis: Uber reviews India leasing scheme as driver incomes drop – sources’, Reuters, viewed 22 March 2017, <http://in.reuters.com/article/uber-tech-india-idINKBN16V05N>.
Singh, M 2017, ‘Uber just can’t seem to keep drivers happy in its fastest growing market’, Mashable, viewed 22 March 2017, <http://mashable.com/2017/02/23/uber-ola-strike-bangalore-india/#V06ng5FWuOqX>.
Singh, M 2017, ‘Uber’s refusal to treat its drivers as employees now receiving backlash in India’, Mashable, viewed 22 March 2017, <http://mashable.com/2017/02/14/uber-ola-drivers-strike-india-delhi/?utm_cid=a-seealso#eEaI.78vtmq3>.
Threadgold, S 2015, ‘Struggle Street is poverty porn with an extra dose of class racism’, The Conversation.
reneeschwarze 