HUMANS OF NEW YORK

As I said in my previous post, I was quite overwhelmed by how many things you have to think about when you interview someone. For example, you have to build a relationship with the interviewee. To get the most out of the interview, they have to be comfortable with you. This is daunting to me because I don’t have great interpersonal skills. I’m just constantly afraid of offending people and I’m very awkward. My presence isn’t very reassuring so I wonder how I would go if I interviewed a complete stranger.

However, I am interested in people’s stories. I often wish I had more confidence to ask people about their lives, especially older people, not in an interview sense but just in a casual conversation. I love the Facebook page Humans of New York because the person who runs it, Brandon, showcases such real and raw aspects of people he finds on the streets of New York. Sometimes the stories are sad, sometimes they are happy. Sometimes it’s a very deep backstory, sometimes we don’t learn anything about their lives at all.

Because they aren’t video interviews, I wonder how Brandon approaches these people. I assume that he doesn’t plan out these interviews, he just asks the people he meets on the streets. He is able to build a relationship with the interviewee in a very small amount of time. That’s not to say that he just asks them a question and goes, maybe he spends an hour or two with them, I don’t know but he must be able to build a level of trust with these people he interviews. Brandon’s demeanour must be one that makes them comfortable because he has made these people want to share the most personal aspects of their lives and allow it to be shared with thousands of people online.

He approaches many people of many different background and tells their story. That is the very core of interviewing. To tell someone’s story. Although it isn’t video, Humans of New York is a very interesting example to look at and to analyse when studying the act of interviewing.