The emergence of homeless people touting internet access during the South by South West (SXSW) music and technology festival in Austin, Texas this year has been much talked about.
The original article on Yahoo.com states that many people have described it as'shameful, hideous, patronising' and 'dehumanising'.
I prefer to look at it more optimistically. Considering the average Big Issue seller is offering a product that is possibly outdated, and most of the people who purchase the magazine are doing so just in order to help the homeless person, the offering of WI-FI services seems to make sense. As it's something that most people want - internet access - even those who may not usually go out of their way to help a homeless person by purchasing something they don't want (magazine).
It is unlikely that the homeless people would have been forced into selling the Wi Fi, and I believe that there are many unemployed (though not homeless) who would have been keen to undertake the job if it had been offered to them.
The initiative also helps to highlight the plight of homeless people as it gives them a chance to talk to the general public that they might not otherwise have.
From a PR point of view, I think that BBH New York, the company behind the Homeless Hotspots initiative, should offer to help the participants to find ongoing employment after the festival is over, or help them out in some other way. This will help cast off any of the negative media about them being dehumanising and opportunistic.
What are your thoughts?
Ok, but aren't they using the homeless as 'human wi-fi antennas' for the business purpose of making a profit.
ReplyDeleteI cannot yet put my finger on the reason I think this is somewhat dehumanising.