PROFILE | The “Face” Behind Faces of Vancouver
Photo Credit: Shutterstock via Vox
Over the past few months, anyone scrolling through Instagram or TikTok may have had the pleasure of finding an account called Faces of Vancouver. Perhaps you have come across a video of a man by the name of Jose responding to an interviewer behind the camera about the lack of friendliness in the city. Or, a man named Gary talking about Vancouver as an increasingly multicultural city popped up on your feed.
Both of these videos have amassed over 10,000 views. Faces of Vancouver was created five months ago and began gaining traction after just one month of its creation; the Instagram account has now reached over 40,100 followers.
The account (known as @faces_of_vancouver on Instagram and @facesofvancouver on TikTok) is a video diary of Vancouver. Its author? The multitude of individuals who find themselves in this city in one way or another. As described in the account’s bio, “Everyone has a story. Everyone has a struggle.” Whether the struggle is the unaffordability of housing, the increasing addiction and overdose rates, or concerns about climate change, Faces of Vancouver gives the people in this city the opportunity to share.
Of course, this diary would not be possible without someone behind the camera providing the blank page and pen. I had the privilege of speaking with the organizer of the project, and now, the interviewer has become the interviewee.
The organizer chose to remain faceless, sharing that they “like people to focus on the folks being interviewed rather than who is behind the camera.” They humbly added, “I personally get annoyed by some interviewers who talk too much or make it about themselves and their opinions, so I try to be the opposite.”
The BC-born creator has been a Vancouver resident for the past 15 years and found that Vancouver can be a more disconnected or “cold” city in comparison to other places in BC, but they are “passionate about making the community work better for everyone.”
“It can be difficult to find someone to speak with, but that is also something I think is inherent about Vancouver compared to other places, so I like to think I can change the perception of the city just a bit each time someone does open up to me.”
Our creator opened up about their own struggles and how the account has helped them — with trying to get a new job, helping to raise a child, and making payments on school and other expenses, they experienced “a whole range of feelings.”
“I thought it would be good to hear from folks here about what they might be struggling with here and felt that other people may benefit from hearing local people’s stories as well,” they said. “Quickly, I realized that most people I talked to were dealing with some issue or another, and I was able to give them a platform to talk about it.”
Some of the many interviewees on the account | Photo Credit: Faces of Vancouver/Instagram
Despite being online, the project allows viewers to connect with many different individuals in Vancouver. Most content nowadays is consumed virtually, and though a lot of it can be negative, social media can provide an outlet for positive community building when used correctly. Faces of Vancouver does exactly this — by encouraging people to share and be open about their struggles, it can help the viewer empathize with those in their community, which in turn can aid in creating a more welcoming and inclusive space for all.
Some of the comments on the page, however, are not as positive. Certain commenters choose to criticize the individual being interviewed, inveighing against their positive outlook, their political stance, or going so far as to vilify their existence in the city.
Our creator doesn’t let this dishearten them. “Hearing where [each person is] from and what they think is something that I wouldn’t get unless I was doing this, so in a way, it forces me to connect with people, and it helps with my mental health too. Also, it’s super fun!” they said, adding that, while many people decline when they ask to talk, “each person that does engage makes it well worth it.”
“I like to travel the world and meet people from all walks of life. Vancouver has a lot to offer here. Sometimes it just takes some saying ‘hello’ to get them to open up and share their experience. I can help people do that through this page, and if that helps the community overall, then I’m happy to be doing it. I really think Vancouver, BC, and Canada could use it. We are a great place, and it should be fun to talk about how we can make life better for everyone.”
Instead of doom scrolling through a never-ending stream of consumerist recommendations, laughable memes, and photos of meals that “that one person you met one time” had for breakfast, I recommend you head over to the Faces of Vancouver account. Listening to the stories and struggles of the people in this city might give any viewer an additional ounce of understanding and empathy, which we all could use.