Snapchat’s new discovery series “Hotspots” sheds light on many unknown issues

Alyssa Bunde
Staff Writer

In light of the recent New Zealand shooting it has once again become apparent to me that I am not as phased by terrible incidents as I once used to be. However, after watching Hotspots, a Snapchat discovery series, an unfamiliar number of chills and empathy washed over me. 

This Snapchat series has two seasons. The first contains five episodes, and the second contains four. Sky News, Hotspots creator, stated Hotspots is an “attempt to give you a chance to peek behind the headlines; beyond the news and glimpse inside the really very unglamorous world of eyewitness reporting while also being taken to some of the most inhospitable places on earth.”

Personally, one of the more chilling episodes for me was episode two of season two, titled, “these are the child soldiers of South Sudan.” Perhaps the most shocking portion of the video was when the crew interviewed a young boy, who was laughing as he explained that he beat and killed people. The video also spoke with the young females of the area. The girls were shown in a building sewing with children rested upon their laps. All of these babies were the products of being raped, some of the girls were even raped multiple times. However, when the crew interviewed the girls and how they felt towards the babies the girls all stated that they forgive their attackers. One female stated, “my future is what I’m doing now.” 

After watching both short seasons of Hotspots I thought to myself: why does a short Snapchat clip catch more of my attention than a highly publicized tragedy like the New Zealand shooting? I believe it’s because mass school shootings have been all over the news, especially in this last year. It has become almost a regular news segment. 

Horrors happen daily, but unfortunately when you are consistently exposed to the same type of horror, the effects start to dwindle. This is not to say I don’t care about the shooting or think it’s not an issue, I just recognize that the media is excessively perpetuating this type of atrocity and almost glamorizing it. 

Events deserve to be spoken about. However, when these events are occurring with such regularity, I believe we must remind ourselves that there are other horrors that also call for our attention. 

Header photo courtesy of Flickr.