Brandon Stanton's popular photography blog and Facebook page features often inspirational and thought-provoking interviews with everyday New Yorkers, and it’s grown from strength to strength since its inception in 2010. [...] "The key to all film, really, and certainly to the documentary films we do, is storytelling,” she said. “This is storytelling at its core, at its most visceral. That really appealed to us. People really open themselves up in a way that continues to surprise me."

In traditional diplomacy, a foreign public’s first impressions are formed by the architecture of embassy compounds, the grandeur of ambassadorial vehicles, the candor of diplomatic representatives, or the elegance of diplomatic functions. They serve as representations of the power, culture, and influence of the sending state. In digital diplomacy, a foreign public’s first impressions are often formed by the embassy website.

International Medical Corps, established in 1984, and where I currently work, is a global, humanitarian, nonprofit organization dedicated to saving lives through health care training and relief. In order to spread awareness about the Syrian refugee crisis, International Medical Corps went one step further by using visual storytelling to provide a voice for refugees. “The Things We Carry” campaign, launched in March 2017 by International Medical Corps and the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation is an effort to keep public attention on the ongoing crisis in Syria.