Abstract
Virtual communities on Facebook have several potential benefits for young Indigenous Australians. These communities may help to reinforce young Indigenous Australians’ identities, foster new community ties and strengthen existing ones, and improve educational practices and opportunities. This paper first discusses virtual communities on Facebook and the use of Facebook by Indigenous Australians. It then examines each of the potential benefits listed above drawing on peer-reviewed studies and the popular Indigenous Facebook group, Blackfulla Revolution. Lastly, it describes the limitations of the resources used and proposes areas of study that may be beneficial in future research.
Introduction
The true meaning of “community” has long been disputed amongst academics and theorists, and a clear definition of the word has yet to be agreed upon (Katz, Rice, Acord, Dasgupta & David, 2004, p. 304). The Internet, which allows people from all over the globe to connect with one another, has made finding a widely accepted definition even more challenging. Katz et al. (2004) describe the difference between a physical community, a “population group defined by the space that it occupies” (Park, as cited in Katz et al., 2004, p. 311), and a virtual community, characterized by “intimate secondary relationships, specialized relationships, weaker ties, and homogeneity by interest” (Wellman & Gulia, as cited in Katz et al., 2004, p. 313). While the focus of this paper will be on virtual communities, it is important to note that physical and virtual communities are not mutually exclusive – members of a virtual community may also share a physical space and vice versa. Ridings & Gefen (2006) provide a more comprehensive definition of virtual communities: “people with shared interests or goals for whom electronic communication is a primary form of interaction” (para. 5). Using this definition as a framework, this paper will explore the potential benefits of virtual communities on Facebook for Indigenous Australian youth. These benefits include the reinforcement of Indigenous identity, the building and strengthening of community ties, and improvements in education.
Indigenous Australians and Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service that allows users to create their own profile, link to other profiles by adding “friends” and/or joining groups, post and share content (e.g. photos, videos, text posts, links, etc.), organise events, subscribe to (i.e. “like”) public pages, and more. Facebook is currently the most popular social networking service in the world (Statista, 2018), with roughly 1.45 billion daily active users in March 2018 (Facebook Newsroom, 2018, para. 3). Its core functionality is its users’ ability to connect with “friends” and belong to groups of people with which they have something in common (Lumby, 2010, p. 68). Community is therefore integral to Facebook. Facebook also enables several types of communities. It may help to form new communities of people with similar interests, values and/or goals that otherwise may never have had the opportunity to meet, or it may strengthen communities that already exist offline (Rice, Haynes, Royce & Thompson, 2016, pp. 10-11). The functionality and wide, frequent usage of Facebook make it a useful tool with which to examine the potential benefits of virtual communities.
Rice et al. (2016) state that despite the “economic, social, cultural and geographic factors” that may limit their access, Indigenous Australians have been using the Internet and social media since its early introduction in Australia (p. 2). Furthermore, since mobile phones have facilitated Internet access, the use of social media as a communication tool by Indigenous Australians has become increasingly widespread (Rice et al, 2016, p. 3). In fact, studies have found that Indigenous Australians are over-represented as users of Facebook; 73% of Indigenous Australians actively used Facebook in 2015, compared to only 62% of the general Australian population (Dreher, McCallum & Waller, 2016, p. 29). Across the board, adolescents and young adults are known to be the primary users of social media (Rice et al., 2016, p. 2). This coupled with the fact that young Indigenous Australians face a unique set of challenges – for example, poor standards of education (Townsend, 2015, p. 2) – is the reason for the focus on Indigenous Australian youth in this paper.
Indigenous Identity
It has been suggested that the Internet may provide a path for Indigenous people to create “richer representations” of themselves, speak up for themselves, and publish their own stories in a place where participation is not limited (Christie, as cited in Lumby, 2010, p. 70). Being a part of a virtual community, particularly one on Facebook, helps young Indigenous Australians to understand, construct and express their identities. In her study of urban Indigenous identity on Facebook, Lumby (2010) describes how several Indigenous Australian Facebook groups encourage their users to share their art, music, ideas or “anything [they] are proud of” (p. 70). She suggests that this kind of encouragement allows young Indigenous Australians to build a stronger sense of identity and “perform” it to others in these groups (Lumby, 2010, p. 70). The concept of “performing” Indigenous identity on social media has been a popular subject of research in recent years. Carlson (2016) notes that in her research on Aboriginal identity, community and social media, several of her participants stated that they “visually express” their Indigeneity to others through their Facebook profiles, posts and networks; one participant stated that her profile, photos, groups and friends on Facebook “all highlight [her] Aboriginality” (p. 255). Rice et al. (2016) argue that performing their identity to others in Indigenous-specific Facebook groups may help young Indigenous Australians to further define and affirm that identity (pp. 4-10). It seems, then, that virtual communities on Facebook may aid Indigenous Australian youth by allowing them to explore and embrace their Indigeneity.
It has been suggested that the importance that young Indigenous Australians place on representing their cultural identity online may also have negative implications, particularly for those who do not “look” Indigenous. For example, Carlson (2016) notes that “a significant number” of participants in her research reported being challenged and/or mocked for claiming to be Indigenous online, and some admitted to “fabricating aspects of cultural knowledge” so as to be accepted in online communities (p. 256). Similarly, Lumby (2010) posits that Facebook can act as a “restraining force that regulates who can and who cannot be Indigenous”, but also notes that this kind of “surveillance” of Indigeneity regularly occurs among Indigenous Australians in the offline world too (pp. 71-73). This suggests that the issue of identity surveillance is not limited to or a result of social media.
Nevertheless, the impact of virtual communities, particularly those on Facebook, on Indigenous identity are generally positive. Rice et al. (2016) point out that a “strong cultural identity” has known positive outcomes for young Indigenous Australians, including greater participation and achievement in education and improved mental health (p. 13). Furthermore, it has been argued that all “authentic” Indigenous websites (i.e. websites run for and by Indigenous people) reaffirm Indigenous identity and assert “the right of Indigenous peoples to survive” (Dyson, 2011, p. 259). It could therefore be argued that all Facebook groups, pages and profiles run by Indigenous Australians are, in themselves, reaffirmations of Indigenous identity and assertions of the right of Indigenous Australian people to live and thrive.
Community Ties
As mentioned earlier, communities on Facebook, such as groups and pages, can help foster new community ties between people who may never otherwise have met offline or strengthen ties within existing communities and networks (Rice et al., 2016, pp. 10-11). This is particularly important for Indigenous Australians, who are more likely than other Australians to live in remote or very remote communities (Rice et al. 2016, p. 10), and who are often forced to leave their original territories to seek education and/or jobs (Dyson, 2011, p. 260).
Creating New Community Ties
Dyson (2011) notes how the Internet and social media play a crucial role in helping to “reconnect the Indigenous diaspora” (p. 260). She uses the example of the Indigenous Canadian Wendat Nation, who after being widely dispersed from their original home in the 17th century, now use discussion groups on Yahoo to talk about a range of topics including identity, culture, language, planned gatherings and the reacquisition of their original territory (Dyson, 2011, p. 260). There are several Facebook groups and pages designed for Indigenous people all over Australia to connect over similar issues to those discussed by the Wendat people. For example, the popular Indigenous Blackfulla Revolution Facebook page lists their interests as: “culture, dreamtime spirituality, first nations and dialects, history, self-determination, empowerment and advancement, and awareness and education” (Blackfulla Revolution, n.d.). The page has over 170,000 likes and followers, and regularly shares Indigenous news stories, articles about issues faced by Indigenous Australians, stories of achievement by Indigenous Australians, local event details, and links to language, health, and funding resources (Blackfulla Revolution, n.d.). These posts are liked, commented on and shared by sometimes thousands of people – many of them young Indigenous Australians (Blackfulla Revolution, n.d.). Facebook groups and pages such as Blackfulla Revolution may help young Indigenous Australians gain a greater sense of connection and belonging by allowing them to discuss issues that are important to them with others who understand and share their perspective.
Strengthening Existing Community Ties
It has been noted that social networking sites – Facebook in particular, which allows users to share a wide range of content – have gained popularity among young Indigenous Australians, largely because these sites allow them to keep up with their family and friends, especially those with whom they have lost touch after moving away from home (Rice et al., 2016, p. 11). In fact, 92% of participants in a survey of mostly young Indigenous Australians by Carlson (2016) claimed to use social media to “connect with Aboriginal family and friends across distances” (p. 257). Many also suggested that they engage in online activities with friends and family just as they do offline, such as sharing photos and updates, talking about family trees, and speaking in a shared language (Carlson, 2016, p. 257). This suggests that as well as allowing disconnected friends and family to keep in touch, Facebook enables already close friends and family members to maintain and strengthen their relationships. This increased connectivity with members of their existing social networks gives young Indigenous Australians a sense of support, which may help to improve their mental health and overall wellbeing (Rice et al., 2016, p.11).
Education
The rates of educational participation and completion among Indigenous Australians compared to the wider Australian population are very low. Rice et al. (2016) notes that 25% of Indigenous people aged 15 and over report Year 12 or equivalent as their highest level of education, compared to 52% of the non-Indigenous population (p. 2). Furthermore, of those Indigenous Australians who do enrol in higher education, only 41-65% complete their studies (Townsend, 2015, p. 2). Such low levels of education have been identified as a key factor in poor employment rates of Indigenous Australians. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2014) claims that over 80% of the difference in employment rates between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians – which are around 44% and 72% respectively – can be attributed to differences in education (para. 4-5).
Education-based Facebook groups provide several opportunities for Indigenous Australian students – particularly for those living in remote areas who may have less access to educational facilities than those in metropolitan or inner regional areas. A study by Townsend (2015) of Indigenous pre-service teachers in remote communities reveals some major benefits of mobile learning, which involves the use of Facebook groups to connect students with their peers and teachers. Firstly, participants could give and receive academic support by connecting with each other and with staff for help with their studies outside the classroom (Townsend, 2015, p. 11). One participant claimed that he and his peers had “integrated through Facebook”, and that if they were struggling with assignments, they could reach out to each other for help (Townsend, 2015, p. 11). Participants also reported using Facebook groups to offer each other personal encouragement and develop support networks with their peers (Townsend, 2015, p. 12). Townsend (2015) notes that having the opportunity to connect with their peers and teachers online helps pre-service teachers to better engage with their studies – moreover, he argues that this increased engagement may lead to higher completion of teaching degrees among Indigenous Australians living in remote areas, which may lead to more qualified teachers and therefore improved education for future Indigenous students (p. 19). While this last point is mostly theorizing, there is evidence of the positive impact of Facebook groups on school results among non-Indigenous students. For example, a study by Chen (in press) found that students who participated in a school Facebook group achieved “significantly higher” grades than those who did not (p. 5). Therefore, it is reasonable to expect that Facebook groups may also lead to higher results among Indigenous students – especially those in remote areas, for whom online communication with peers and teachers is vital.
Limitations
There are a number of limitations to the main studies and texts referenced in this paper, including:
Limited samples. The studies by Townsend (2015) and Lumby (2010) have very small sample sizes – 28 and 26 participants respectively. There is also little diversity among participants in these studies: Townsend’s (2015) study included only Indigenous Australian pre-service teachers in remote areas of Queensland, and Lumby’s (2010) study included only current or graduated Indigenous Australian university students with Facebook accounts.
Outdated information. Information cited from both Dyson (2011) and Lumby (2010) is somewhat outdated, as these texts were written seven and eight years ago respectively. Many sources referenced in each of these texts are even older (i.e. early-to-mid 2000s).
Ambiguity. There is some ambiguity in Carlson’s (2016) text, as she draws her information from one of her “recent” studies and several of her previous studies. These are sometimes not distinguished and of which the dates, aims and samples are often not specified.
Unpublished literature. Rice et al.’s (2016) literature review includes “grey literature” – academic literature that has not been formally published (p. 3).
Conclusion
Facebook is an extremely popular social networking service that allows its users to connect with others and build virtual communities. Despite several factors that may restrict their access to the Internet and social media, Indigenous Australians are heavy users of Facebook. Belonging to virtual communities on Facebook has several potential benefits for young Indigenous Australians in particular, who face their own unique set of challenges, such as poor standards of education. Facebook enables them to explore, express and reaffirm their Indigenous identity by “performing” their Indigeneity to others in Indigenous-specific groups and in their own networks. Facebook also allows young Indigenous Australians to create new community ties – often through joining Indigenous-specific groups – and strengthen existing ones. This is particularly important for young Indigenous Australians who live in remote areas or who have lost touch with friends and family after moving away from home. Education-based Facebook groups aid young Indigenous Australian students by allowing them to connect with their peers and teachers for academic support and personal encouragement. This may increase their engagement in their studies and eventually lead to improved standards of education for Indigenous students, which are currently very poor. While there is a significant amount of research on Indigenous Australians and virtual communities on social media, much of this research is limited due to small and narrow samples, outdated information, ambiguity and the inclusion of unpublished literature. Future studies would benefit from larger and more diverse samples, the use of more recent data, greater specificity in research aims and sample details, and stricter regulations on the kinds of literature cited in reviews and discussions.
References
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2014, February 28). What works to improve education and employment outcomes for Indigenous Australians? [Press release]. Retrieved from https://search-informit-com-au.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au/fullText;dn=085566734433385;res=IELAPA
Blackfulla Revolution. (n.d.). In Facebook [News & Media Page]. Retrieved April 2, 2018, from https://www.facebook.com/ourcountryourchoice/
Carlson, B. (2016). The politics of identity: Who counts as Aboriginal today? Canberra, ACT: Aboriginal Studies Press.
Chen, M. (in press). Students’ perceptions of the educational usage of a Facebook group. Journal of Teaching in Travel & Tourism. https://doi.org/10.1080/15313220.2018.1434448
Dreher, T., McCallum, K., & Waller, L. (2016). Indigenous voices and mediated policy-making in the digital age. Information, Community & Society, 19, 23-39. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2015.1093534
Dyson, L. (2011). Indigenous peoples on the Internet. In M. Consalvo & C. Ess (Eds.), The handbook of Internet studies (pp. 251-269). Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishing.
Facebook Newsroom. (2018). Company Info. Retrieved from https://newsroom.fb.com/company-info/
Katz, J. E., Rice, R. E., Acord, S., Dasgupta, K., & David, K. (2004). Personal mediated communication and the concept of community in theory and practice. In P. Kalbfleisch (Ed.), Communication and community: Communication yearbook 28 (pp. 315-371). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Lumby, B. L. (2010). Cyber-Indigeneity: Urban Indigenous identity on Facebook. The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, 39, 68-75. Retrieved from http://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2271&context=artspapers
Rice, E.S., Haynes, E., Royce, P., & Thompson, S.C. (2016). Social media and digital technology use among Indigenous young people in Australia: A literature review. International Journal for Equity in Health, 15(81), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-016-0366-0
Ridings, C.M. & Gefen, D. (2006). Virtual community attraction: Why people hang out online. Journal of Computer Mediated Communication, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2004.tb00229.x
Statista. (2018). Most popular social networks worldwide as of April 2018, ranked by number of active users (in millions). Retrieved from https://www.statista.com/statistics/272014/global-social-networks-ranked-by-number-of-users/.
Townsend, P.B. (2015). Mob learning – digital communities for remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander tertiary students. Journal of Economic and Social Policy, 17(2), 1-23. Retrieved from https://epubs.scu.edu.au/jesp/vol17/iss2/2
Hi Kelsey,
That was a good read!
I particularly enjoyed your breakdown of Townsend’s (2015) research into rural online education and the way social media is facilitating both peer support and support for educators.
My article approaches similar themes and would make an interesting comparison.
I look into social media’s uses around crises dealing with Indigenous and marginalised communities. Through my research, I found that social media has the capacity to democratise and empower users but also to homogenise and pervert understandings – similarly to the offline paradigm – depending on its uses.
I would love to see your recommendations for future studies come to fruition. “Future studies would benefit from larger and more diverse samples, the use of more recent data, greater specificity in research aims and sample details, and stricter regulations on the kinds of literature cited in reviews and discussions.” I would also like to see a greater emphasis on understanding cultural idiosyncracies and cross-cultural relationship management when conducting research and implementing such systems. I believe this would mitigate many of the crises and incidents covered in my article whereby poor communication seemed to be a catalyst, if not at the heart of each case study.
Check out my article: “Contentious Conversations: Race, Religion and Participation Within the New Media Landscape” I’d love to know what you think.
Hi James,
Thanks so much! I’m glad you got something out of it.
I’ve just had a read of your paper and found it interesting that while our focus is quite different, we draw some similar conclusions about the implications of social media for Indigenous Australians. We seem to agree that social media has the power to give Indigenous people a voice and to allow them to connect with each other to discuss important issues, but also that new problems may arise (or old ones may worsen) depending on how it is used.
I agree with your suggestion of greater cultural understanding for future studies! Aside from the many obvious cultural differences between the Indigenous and non-Indigenous people of Australia, there are so many tribes and communities within the wider Indigenous Australian population. I imagine each of these has their own unique values, understandings, history, languages and challenges – just to name a few – and so it would be beneficial to have a better understanding of these cultural factors when studying Indigenous people and communities. Hopefully we will see this carry out in the future.
Cheers,
Kelsey
Hey Kelsey,
I really enjoyed this article and learnt a lot of stuff that I had never heard about or seen before. It is great to see that you chose a topic that was quite unknown especially such a sensitive topic like the Indigenous community here in Australia. It is really nice to see that people from Indigenous communities coming together online through social networking to build a virtual community and platform to connect on.
I like that you engaged with the topic of utilizing social networking sites such as Facebook to help teachers and mentors connect with students to help them to achieve better results within school and studies.
Really great article Kelsey, I took a lot away from reading this.
– Lauren
Hi Lauren,
Thank you – that’s wonderful to hear! I decided to write about this topic in the hopes of educating myself and others on issues faced by Indigenous Australians, so I’m glad you took something away from this.
I also found educational benefits the most interesting part of this research. It was actually Townsend’s study of pre-service teachers that really prompted me to choose this stream. Here’s the link if you’re interested: https://search-informit-com-au.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au/fullText;dn=279461433346215;res=IELAPA
Thanks again,
Kelsey
Hi Kelsey,
Well done on an educational and informative read on “The potential benefits of virtual communities on Facebook for Indigenous Australian youth”. The benefits of social media on Australian youth highlight the necessity for some communities to have the tools at hand such as the platforms found on Web 2.0 like Facebook to branch out and feel connected to others, not only in the sense of a physical community but virtually too. Online platforms are a comfortable space for families who have been geographically dispersed to utilize social media to find common ground once again to strengthen ties and enhance educational practices. Future studies sounds imperative to concluding the educational benefits for the online indigenous community. I found this read very interesting and quite informative, I would also be interested in the findings of future studies on the topic of potential benefits of virtual communities on Facebook for Indigenous Australians. I have written also about the benefits of online communication but within the community of senior citizens, let me know what you think! Living Longer Online. Seniors, Online Communities and Web 2.0 McNally Ciara
Hi Ciara,
Thanks! I’m glad you took something away from my paper. I agree with your statement that online platforms are a “comfortable space” for families who have been dispersed. I would also argue that online platforms are a comfortable space for Indigenous youth who may be close to family but who feel marginalised from society, as these platforms allow them to connect with other Indigenous people their age.
Your paper sounds very interesting – I wonder if there are any similarities in our findings. I’ll check it out as soon as possible.
Looking forward to reading your work,
Kelsey
Hi Kelsey!
Firstly, great intro – I like how you have connected yet differentiated physical community and virtual community within the context of Indigenous Australian youth, and your definition by Ridings & Grefen (2006) of virtual communities is perfect! I thought the use of (Christie, as cited in Lumby, 2010) suggestion that indigenous use of the internet to create “richer representations” of themselves is a great construction, forming the base of your argument about the benefits of facebook within these communities. This ties in very well with the concept of ‘performing’. I think its great that when you explored community ties that you addressed creation of new and strengthening of existing ties as it further defines the different uses (and therefore potential benefits) of social media within this context.
Your paper is very well written, well structured and for someone like me who does not know much at all about indigenous Australians use of social media, it is very well broken down and justified. Very well done!
Chanel.
Hi Chanel,
Thanks so much. I agree – Ridings and Gefen’s definition of “virtual community” was the best I could find! I hadn’t thought of it that way, but it’s true, the use of the Internet by Indigenous people to create “richer representations of themselves” does underpin the main argument of my paper. It extends to the educational benefits of social media, as better education may allow Indigenous youth to not only gain a stronger understanding of themselves, but also to communicate that understanding to others more effectively.
I’m happy that you found my paper informative and easy to understand. I didn’t know much about this topic at all before researching it, so I’m glad we could both learn something.
Thanks again,
Kelsey
Hey Kelsey!
I’m not very educated around the topic of Indigenous communities, however, your paper was very clear and concise and allowed me to understand the power that Facebook has in creating a voice and identity for Indigenous youth. You used a lot of statistics to reinforce your argument which is great to see. I wasn’t really aware of the online forums conducted on Yahoo that you indicated allowing for Indigenous Australians to frequently talk about topics of interest relative to their culture; something of this calibre is very cool. What types of shifts do you expect to see regarding content online relating to the Indigenous community in upcoming years?
It would have been cool to see some images used to make your paper more aesthetic but other than that it was a very good and interesting paper to read.
I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Kind regards,
Marco 🙂
Hi Marco,
Thanks for reading my paper! I’m glad you found it informative. I wasn’t aware of Indigenous people using Yahoo discussion groups to reconnect with their culture either – it’s interesting to see how marginalised groups used the Internet to communicate before social media. I agree, it’s very cool.
That’s a good question. I don’t want to speculate too much because aside from the research I’ve done for this paper, I don’t know much about online trends amongst Indigenous people. However, I recall Rice et al. (2016) noting that young Indigenous Australians are increasingly using social networking sites such as YouTube and Facebook to produce and share user-generated content (p. 11). I would imagine that by having these platforms to post virtually whatever they want to the public, people in the Indigenous community would be better equipped to tell their own stories and experiences. I hope that this would help give the non-Indigenous community greater insight into how diverse the Indigenous community is and that this insight may help to combat some negative stereotypes about Indigenous people.
Does that answer your question? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this as well if you have any. (Bearing in mind, of course, that we can only speculate from an outside perspective).
Looking forward to hearing from you,
Kelsey
P.S. Thanks for your feedback. Some pictures probably would have been great!
Reference:
Rice, E.S., Haynes, E., Royce, P., & Thompson, S.C. (2016). Social media and digital technology use among Indigenous young people in Australia: A literature review. International Journal for Equity in Health, 15(81), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-016-0366-0
Hi Kelsey!
This was a great paper and so informative! I think this is a topic people often shy away from due to lack of knowledge and being scared to say the wrong things. You have done a really great job of making it easy to understand and the positive approach you have taken to the paper made me want to educate myself further! I really enjoyed your exploration of communities in the introduction as a set up for discussion through the paper. Your thesis statements at the beginning of your sections were clear frameworks and i didn’t once get lost in what you were discussing. Your discussion of limitations showed how well thought out and clearly well researched your paper was!
Your points on identity reminded me a lot of a point I briefly touched on in my own paper about the positive role online communities can have in fostering a rich representation of self. I think this is an important discussion because so many online spaces and communities can receive negative reputations around this.
Really enjoyed reading this!
Hannah 🙂
Hi Hannah,
Thanks so much! To be honest, while I was excited to learn and write about this topic, I was also worried about saying the wrong things. I’m glad that you found my paper helpful and it’s great to hear that you feel motivated to educate yourself more about Indigenous issues. I think everyone would benefit from learning more about this topic.
Your paper sounds interesting! I’d love to give it a read and discuss it with you.
Thanks again,
Kelsey
Hi Kelsey,
A great read. I am really interested in the concept of “performing” on social media also. I liked your research around performing indigeneity, especially the way this can be expressed visually through photos and choice of group membership. My area of focus was also Indigenous Australians and social networks. I looked at FaceBook and the ways in which Indigenous people are “Aboriginalising” their profile pages to demonstrate their identity. I looked at Carlson too (although this was her 2013 study) that actually drew a nice parallel with boyd’s (2006) notion of context collapse. Carlson refers to this as “disembodied space” whereby users are flexible and experimental with their online personas. Carlson found that these concepts of a flexible identity cannot necessarily be applied to Indigenous Australian FaceBook users, where it is evident that “Aboriginal people embody rather that disembody their identity and social engagements” (p.149).
As a teacher in remote Australia, I really resonated with your reference to the positive social outcomes that online communities can facilitate. Rice et al. step this out clearly. I touched on this idea also, looking at work by Molyneaux, O’Donnell, Kakekaspan, Walmark, Budka and Gibson (2012) who found that the connectivity provided by Facebook can preserve cultural knowledge, grow resilience and assist in the building of social capital (p. 3-4).
Do you think that social media can facilitate meaningful political change in Australia moving forward? It’s a debate that interests me, so I’d love to hear your thoughts.
All the best,
Bec Allen.
References
boyd, d. (2006). Friends, Friendsters and Top 8: Writing Community into Being on Social Network Sites. First Monday, 12(4). http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/1418/1336
Carlson, B. (2013). The ‘new frontier’: Emergent Indigenous identities and social media. In M. Harris, M. Nakata & B.Carlson (Eds.), The Politics of Identity: Emerging Indigeneity (pp. 147-168). Sydney: University of Technology Sydney E-Press.
Molyneaux, H., O’Donnell, S., Kakekaspan, C., Walmark, B., Budka, P., & Gibson, K. (2012) Community Resilience and Social Media: Remote and Rural First Nations Communities, Social Isolation and Cultural Preservation. Paper for the 2012 International Rural Network Forum, Whyalla and Upper Spencer Gulf, Australia, 24-28 September. http://meeting.knet.ca/mp19/file.php/16/Publications/2012- Community_Resilience_and_Social_Media.pdf
Hi Rebecca,
It’s great to hear from you! I know you’ve done some work with Indigenous communities, so I’m glad that you felt I touched on the right things in this paper. Since our papers deal with a similar topic, I’d love to read it and chat with you about our findings.
I liked reading Carlson’s work. Since she’s Indigenous herself, it was interesting to read about her research as well as her own thoughts and experiences. I didn’t read what she wrote on context collapse/disembodied spaces, but what you’ve described sounds fascinating. In my time studying web media, I’ve read so much about how the Internet allows people to curate “personas” that do not necessarily reflect their offline selves – so it’s humbling to realise that for many marginalised people, the Internet is more useful as a tool with which to express who they really are.
That’s a good question but one that I really struggle with. I actually had a similar conversation with Cat Paull on her paper (https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2018Bentley/2018/05/07/the-social-media-obsessed-generation-changing-the-us-gun-debate-for-the-better/) if you’re interested in checking that out. I think that social media is powerful in its ability to spread awareness about important issues and facilitate discussions. I also think it’s amazing how social media can help mobilise activist groups offline. I think there’s definitely potential for it to create social change, but how much or how meaningfully is the question. I guess time will tell and I’m curious to find out. What about you? What’s your stance?
Looking forward to reading your paper,
Kelsey
Hi Kelsey,
I was amazed when reading your paper how closely linked ours were! It was interesting to read that some Facebook users liked to highlight their Aboriginality of their profile pages. This is something that did not touch on but found quite interesting as I did not explore racism between one member of the Indigenous community to another. I also like the idea of online community ties that can translate into meaningful offline community ties that you explored. This is a really interesting idea and I think could be closely related to the premise that dating apps and other online support communities work on.
In addition to what you have written about education-based Facebook groups that benefit Indigenous Australians who do not live in metropolitan areas there are some education-based pages that may work in reverse and benefit those who live in metropolitan areas more. Pages that are based around teaching cultural practices and traditional languages can be of benefit to those who live in metropolitan areas and have less access to traditional cultural teachings.
This paper was an excellent read and really helped to extend my understanding of similar issues that I discussed in my own paper. Thanks Kelsey!
Perri