The humanity

In January, Renée Good and Alex Pretti were killed by ICE agents in Minneapolis. On both occasions, videos of the killings circulated widely online. Videos from different angles, slowed down for frame-by-frame analysis, flooded social media feeds and the news. This isn’t the first, nor will it be the last time that a tragedy has been frozen in time and become an object of public attention, and symbolic of a moment in history.

In 1972, a photograph known colloquially as Napalm Girl was circulated by the Associated Press after a napalm attack on the village of Trảng Bàng. The photo depicts numerous children running from the attack including 9-year old Phan Thị Kim Phúc. In the picture she is naked, the napalm having burned her clothes and the skin on her back. The photo became emblematic of the consequences of war and can be found in just about any book or documentary on the Vietnam War.

Kim Phúc, who was the girl in the photo, went through over a year of treatment for her burns. In her adult life, she was eventually able to seek political asylum in Canada. Since then, she has been an advocate for child victims of war and became a member of the Order of Ontario. Her photograph that is now indelibly associated with the Vietnam War affected public opinion about the war at that time. In her life after the photo Kim Phúc continues to help children impacted by war.

In 2015, a photograph of the lifeless body of two-year old Alan Kurdi went viral on social media. His family were trying to flee Syria where their city was under siege and had attempted crossing the Mediterranean Sea. The small boat they were on overburdened by too many people capsized and Alan drowned. Wearing a red t-shirt, blue pants, and velcro shoes, soaked in sea water and lying face down on a beach in Turkey, Alan became a symbol of the refugee crisis. His photo resulted in, for at least a short period of time, donations to NGOs helping Syrian refugees find help.

Captured moments like these, and others like them, can be difficult to process. There is a conflict between viewing that moment – the disruption or loss of a fellow person’s life, the consequent upheaval for the family and friends of those people, the frightening circumstances leading to it – and the relative safety from which you are viewing it. Whether in a newspaper or on your phone, you are partaking in a tragedy you have no physical proximity to, moving on to the next thing in your day while you know that someone else doesn’t get to do that. Normalcy starts to make you feel queasy, because now you know that somewhere, for someone, life has ceased to be normal.

Our algorithm powered social media feeds amplify this. Rather than give us time to go through some kind of emotional reckoning with what we’ve seen, we are simply inundated by the imagery and continuous reaction to it. This is why it’s important after this virtual bearing witness to take some time to disconnect. We can’t work out what to do with our feelings amidst this constant bombardment. In the immediate confusion and aftermath of a horrible event there is often a lack of information while people directly involved come to grips with what’s going on. This vacuum is filled with reaction, conjecture, and conflicting accounts. Taking a moment away from the noise and reminding our minds and bodies that we’re not just content consumers but humans that do human things also gives the time and space to be informed when confirmed reports and avenues to help are available.

On February 1, US District Court Judge Fred Biery ordered the release of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father from an ICE detention centre. A bystander’s photo of Liam in a blue bunny hat and Spider Man backpack being taken to a salt crusted black SUV on January 20 went viral on social media, leading to a public outcry for his release. This photo was included in Judge Biery’s order, rendering it part of the official legal record. Like impactful media before it, Liam’s photo will be among those that encompass the events of January 2026.

As we bear witness to events outside of our control, we look for something to help moor us to the reality of a situation that can seem – from a distance – unreal. Photos and videos of these events both provide that tether as well as a distillation of the wide and complex history they are a part of. As much as that role is important, though, it’s equally important to remember the humanity of the subjects of those images, as well as our own.

Learn more

Death of Alan Kurdi Wikipedia. Last accessed 2026/02/11

Eight people have died in dealings with ICE so far in 2026. These are their stories | ICE (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement) 2026. Melissa Hellmann (The Guardian) Last accessed 2026/02/11

Phan Thi Kim Phuc Wikipedia. Last accessed 2026/02/11

US District Judge Fred Biery's opinion ordering release of 5-year-old Liam Arias and father 2026. Document Cloud (via CNN) Last accessed 2026/02/11

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