Should Western influencers promote Taliban‑run Afghanistan?

In the race for clicks, likes and followers, some travel content creators are being criticized for promoting Afghanistan while ignoring the harsh reality of Taliban rule.

https://p.dw.com/p/5Bcv8Critics say travel content creators ignore the harsh realities of life in Afghanistan Image: Ebrahim Noroozi/AP Photo/picture alliance Advertisement With sensational headlines packed with superlatives and often written in all caps, travel influencers battle for our attention on social media platforms — the more exotic the destination, the better. As a result, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and similar platforms are increasingly filled with travel videos from countries that are far from conventional tourist destinations. With titles like "The worst country on earth," "Traveling in the most dangerous country in the world," dozens of content creators describe trips to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, ignoring all official travel warnings.

Zoe Stephens has traveled to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan several times, most recently for several months. On her YouTube channel Zoe Discovers, on Instagram and on other platforms, the young woman from Liverpool has published dozens of videos about her trips there, including a multi-part series about the situation of women in the country. Of the six content creators we contacted, Stephens was the only one willing to speak publicly about the subject. She claims to present a more nuanced picture than other content creators, who usually spend just a few days in Afghanistan. "That's also why I have way less followers than most of the others," she says. "I refuse to do the sensationalist stuff."