‘Poverty porn’ in the digital age

Social media is full of images of unhoused people that’s either meant to make you angry or laugh. For Leah Goodridge, this content is a new form of ‘poverty porn.’

‘Poverty porn’ used to refer to charity commercials showing malnourished children to evoke empathy from sympathetic viewers. But according to New York City attorney and tenant advocate Leah Goodridge, that kind of imagery has shifted into something more: rage bait. With the center of that rage being homeless people.

Leah Goodridge joins Brittany to get into how social media, our legal system, and societal narratives around homelessness create a culture that punishes and mocks people in need.

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