Introduction
In 2020 the #BlackLivesMatter campaign became the epitome example for use of social media platforms to encourage users to participate in social change. The Instagram platform was specifically used for this event. The BLM campaign presented how social media is a powerful tool for spreading awareness about a problem in society, and sharing opinions with other media users to develop a broader understanding of the issue. Social change is brought about by making an impression on the users and/or a niche community through one person expressing their thoughts on an issue and it becomes a discussion, sometime even a global one (Jenkins, 2006). Discussions about racism and inequality seem to be never-ending and a lot of the time unfinished. This is due to the number of different opinions and stories that people on these platforms discuss. Instagram is a huge platform as it is the most relevant platform according to millennials and generation z. As these generations are the future of society, they are therefore the future of activism and social change. Instagram is one of the more powerful platforms for change and thus it is the focus of this paper. Social change, which is the change of behaviours and actions of a society in this context, is brought about on Instagram through different forms such as stories, posts and comments. All these affordances of Instagram help develop the way people interact with current issues in society as there are different uses for each. For example, stories and posts are used to inform and repost ideas about a topic. Comments are used for discussion of the topic or praise and understanding of the topic. To understand the premise of Instagram and social change, we need to understand social media platforms and act as individuals. Following this, the comprehension of a brief history of racism and public influence before the internet was introduced to the equation. This also leads to the beginning of Black Lives Matter and how the phrase came about. Once the foundation is understood how George Floyd’s death started a revolution on anti-racism and police brutality is the biggest piece of the puzzle on how social media and social change are intertwined. Finally how do influencers respond to issues which gave rise to the BLM campaign. This highlights how social media users use social media platforms to encourage users to participate, in this example Instagram and the Black Lives Matter movement.
Social media platforms and activism
Activism is a way of inspiring people to engage in or prevent cultural, political and social change (Freelon et al., 2020). People promote activism through social media platforms as it starts discussions on important topics in society. Social media platforms enable individuals to construct a member profile, connect to known and potential friends, and view other member connections (Zizi Papacharissi, 2011). Social networking sites were initially intended to create small communities of users that share similar interests and ideas. Jenkins (2006) emphasises that convergence references several common ideas, which therefore encourages people to listen and have discussions about important topics in current society. These communities built on common interests allow people to express their opinions which will influence social change. Users post and share their ideas about politics, culture and social change which creates other users to think about these issues and maybe even change their perspective on certain issues. When a user shares a post about activism people who follow them view that post and think about the issue. This then leads to discussion in the comment section about the issue and how different people view it or want to understand it better. If someone agrees with the post, then they will share it to their feed or story for other users to see. This creates a cycle of how social media spreads awareness of current issues. These posts may even encourage people to attend meetings or protests about the issue. Instagram is one of these platforms as its users post about current issues and reshare and discuss them with their peers. Although Instagram currently is a platform for social change it was not originally intended for this (Nast, 2021). It started as a photo-sharing platform where celebrities and influencers talk directly to their fans. Instagram portrays the beliefs, morals and values of the users through photo sharing, captions and story posts. Instagram advocacy works as young people are active on the platform and listen to what other users say about these issues. People post on Instagram as a way of showing support if they cannot attend marches due to certain drawbacks such as work not allowing them to. An example is Noelle in the Teen Vogue interview she revealed that due to work she was not allowed to attend any sort of activist marches. Due to this she could not participate in the Black Lives Matter movement march across the US but wanted to support the movement, so she posted to Instagram. This then motivated her followers to donate around $3000 towards the movement. This develops the argument that participation in social change can be persuaded by users on social media platforms.
History of racism and public influence/ understanding Black lives matter
Throughout American history, there have been many activists that have fought against racism toward African American people. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the most famous activists in American history who fought for equality throughout America (Jijon, 2017). Martin Luther King Jr. still today is one of the most famous activists due to his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech. Through traditional media and newspapers, the US media narrated the March in Washington. The effect this had on the media resulted in conservative papers such as The Wall Street Journal reporting this event. Due to the media reporting on King’s work against racism, people wanted to commend him on his activism. Martin Luther King Jr. Was then presented with the Nobel Peace Prize and named Times “Man of the Year”. This outlines the importance of media even traditional media as people use it to influence society on problems such as racism and reveal the realities of the world. Understanding the origins of activism against racism and the traditional media will help with the understanding of how new media, in this case, social media, is a medium to promote social change. Although the fight against racism in America had been going on for decades the Black Lives Matter movement started in 2013. George Zimmerman, a police officer, was charged with the second-degree murder of an African American teenager Treyvon Martin (Bludau, 2021). The police officer explained to the judge that it was self-defence from the teenager, but many found that hard to believe and unjust as the teenager was unarmed. In response to this event, Alicia Garza wrote a “love letter to Black folks on Facebook.” This ‘letter’ described how she loved Black people and their culture and how it is an important part of American society. As a result of the post, two other women joined the cause working together to end police brutality and thus created the hashtag Black Lives Matter. Following this many more unarmed Black lives had been taken by police which encouraged people to share videos and photos of the incidents to reveal awareness of this issue. Due to the awareness spread by the public through social media platforms, people started to become offline too by going to protests. The start of the Black Lives Matter movement had begun and only a matter of time would gain more and more support using social media.
George Floyd and how that started a revolution
The year 2020 was not only where the pandemic was at its peak but also the globalisation of the Black Lives Matter movement. George Floyd a 46-year-old African American man was arrested for allegedly using a $20 bill that was fake (Deliso, 2020). Later, a video captured by a bystander of the incident where an officer was pinning Floyd on the ground and handcuffing him while Floyd repeatedly says, “I can’t breathe” and ended up unconscious. He was then committed to a hospital where he later died. The video then proceeded to go viral not only nationally but globally and protests from all over the world were formed to put the people responsible in jail. Derek Chauvin was then later convicted for more than 22 years in prison for murder. This displays how social media users use the platforms to spread information about racism and police brutality to evoke change. While this did spark the flame of change the problem is still present as other Black people have been victims of police brutality. Through the cases, BLM spread information regarding the killings, shared ways for users to be involved in social change and organised protests (Bludau, 2021). The tragic deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd due to police brutality compelled people to attend protests and rallies across the globe even throughout Covid. Millions of people wanted justice for these three people and many others that had died at the hands of law enforcement. Many people went to social media to express their feelings and empower others to act in their communities.
Blackout Tuesday
As a result of the killings of Taylor, Floyd and Abery companies, organisations and individuals went to Instagram to show their support in unity for BLM (Bludau, 2021). June 2nd, 2020, was then made “Blackout Tuesday.” The idea originated from a movement within the music industry called #TheShowMustBePauseed, which was to pause the workweek to acknowledge the inequality and racism that exists. Statistics show that 28 million people posted Blackout Tuesday- related content on the 2nd of June. Instagram users were motivated to post a blank, black square and use the hashtag #BlackoutTuesday to mourn the lives lost because of police brutality and promote activism. The day implied that no personal content was to be posted and to learn about racial injustices. Media platforms such as Instagram have been a powerful tool for movements such as Black Lives Matter as it has influenced users, companies and individuals to share information about serious issues and interact with each other.
Influencers and their take on Black Lives Matter
In 2020, influencers had to decide whether to speak up about the Black Lives Matter movement, white privilege, racism and police brutality (Wellman, 2022). Many were not sure how they should start talking about these issues and were concerned about what their followers might think. Although many creators had never thought about these problems, they still wanted to address them as they felt it was their responsibility to. Influencers who chose to discuss the topic of BLM on Instagram had positive and critical feedback. Many creators wanted to solely support BLM, but many did it to grow their following and credibility. This however did not always work as these influencers were called out on their performative allyship. Posting let white creators and their followers feel as if they were a part of something without making themselves feel uncomfortable. Instagram through influencers helped people explore more information about racism and BLM and how to change the way people perceive these issues. Therefore, the social change social media has brought about through social media users.
Conclusion
Social media users utilise social media platforms to encourage users to participate in social change. In this case how Instagram users evoke change considering the Black Lives Matter movement. Through social media platforms, people have been encouraged to support activists involved in Black Lives Matter. Media platforms such as Instagram are platforms that were never intended for social change but gradually did as awareness of social issues were hyped. This support of the public although amplified through social media has always been there for certain activists such as Martin Luther King Jr. His life was devoted to activism against racism. This led to today where the Black Lives Matter campaign began in 2013. George Floyd’s death sparked social change especially on social media due to its publication of a video on social media. Influencers, organisations, companies, and individuals all united for Blackout Tuesday which developed the argument that social media platforms are used by users to encourage them to participate in social change.
How one video started an anti- racism revolution
Bibliography
Bludau, K. (2021). COMPANY ACTIVISM & BLACK LIVES MATTER: A CONTENT ANALYSIS OF BLM INSTAGRAM POSTS.
Deliso, M. (2020). Timeline: The impact of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis and beyond. [online] ABC News. Available at: https://abcnews.go.com/US/timeline-impact-george-floyds-death-minneapolis/story?id=70999322.
Freelon, D., Marwick, A. and Kreiss, D. (2020). False equivalencies: Online activism from left to right. Science, 369(6508), pp.1197–1201.
Jijon, I. (2017). The Universal King? Memory, Globalization, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Sociological Inquiry, 88(1), pp.79–105.
Nast, C. (2021). Does Instagram Activism Actually Do Anything? [online] Teen Vogue. Available at: https://www.teenvogue.com/story/does-instagram-activism-work.
Wellman, M.L. (2022). Black Squares for Black Lives? Performative Allyship as Credibility Maintenance for Social Media Influencers on Instagram. Social Media + Society, 8(1), p.205630512210804.
Zizi Papacharissi (2011). A networked self : identity, community, and culture on social network sites. New York ; London: Routledge.
Hi Hoofi, I enjoyed reading your essay and I think you have made some good points; I tend to disagree that social media apps such as Instagram are a good way of bringing about social change, which is essentially political change.
First, taking BLM which, you use of the positive effects of social change coming about from Instagram. No doubt ‘awareness’ of George Floyd was raised on Instagram but, the awareness of this issue was also raised in the mainstream media by broadcasting his arrest on new bulletins. So, it’s hard to know how large the role of Instagram was in raising awareness. But more importantly, what good is raising awareness of, for example, racism, if political power structures that enshrine racism in society remain unchallenged?
“These posts may even encourage people to attend meetings or protests about the issue. Instagram is one of these platforms as its users post about current issues and reshare and discuss them with their peers.” Is there any evidence to support this claim?
I don’t think the power of the State, or the police force (that carry out acts of violence on the State’s behalf) is troubled by a few young people sharing images or making comments on social media. How does raising awareness help a black person in America, Australia or anywhere else – in terms of making their lives better? I can show my support for BLM on social media but how does this translate or get translated into action that changes things for the better? I believe that social media encourages ‘slacktivism’ and provides a comforting and naive illusion: that the world can be made a better place by looking at your smart phone.
I also disagree that MLK Jr was a successful campaigner because the movement he led was noticed and that the media raised awareness of his movement – I suspect the mainstream media was critical of his movement at the time as he was seen as a threat to the status quo and a dangerous agitator. In the years since his death, we might get the impression that he was hailed as hero at the time, but I don’t believe this was as he was seen as a threat to state power. I also believe that he was a successful campaigner and leader as he was able to mobilise huge swaths of people behind a cause, he was also critical of capitalism so I doubt he would have much time for apps such as Instagram (I know you were not suggesting this either).
I think you have made some good points, I agree that social media can raise awareness of issues but I don’t believe that using social media alone will bring about any real political or social changes (the social and the political are the same from my understanding), in fact it has the opposite effect and sells people the fantasy that can change can come without sacrifice and without understanding how power and politics work in the real world.
Hi Hoofi,
Great paper I think you made some really good points about activism and social media. I do agree with Philip’s statement and response to the paper on the topic of slacktivism and how social media can’t bring about social and political change alone with sacrifice and true understanding.
An issue that has been brought to my attention which correlates with contents in this paper is of the BLM founders using the donations received from their large popularity on social media to purchase a $6 million dollar house and have yet to provide a plan for the BLM movement with the donations given since their peak of social media followers in 2020. In relation to this a comment made, “Black victims of police violence have complained that they have seen little of the funds that have flowed to the movement’s most visible facet” which is concerning to see as the BLM movement promoted to provide for victims and alluded followers to believe this intention.
here is the link to the article: https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2022/04/black-lives-matter-6-million-dollar-house.html
What are your thoughts on this issues? as their rise in social media popularity enabled them to be able to get to this stage.
Hi Lorena,
Thanks for reading my paper. I did not know about this issue but it does seem o be quite a big one. I read the article and it is surprising that people who do ‘good work’ for society do not spend the money wisely that has been donated to the cause. I do believe the article was a bit harsh as it did ‘bash’ the founders quite a lot and did assume a lot of things about them and the buying of the house, not that what the founders did was right but I feel as their voice was shut down throughout the article. I found another that discussed their response after the article was posted if you would like to read it: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10710011/BLM-blames-media-causing-distress-purchase-6m-mansion-charity-apologizes.html
Thanks again for taking the time to read my paper!
Hi Hoofi,
Thanks for taking time to read and respond to my comment. Yes, I do agree that the article I provided is quite one sided and it is very hard to control donation money once it has been donated.
Thank you for providing another perspective to this topic to give a better understanding on the issues.
Thanks,
Lorena
Hi Philip,
I would say that my opinions on this matter align quite closely to yours – as I too think that social media activism often gives a false sense of action.
Like you’ve said, “I don’t think the power of the State, or the police force … is troubled by a few young people”, could social media posts not lead to even a small percentage of people becoming more educated on the matter (if they are to do further research for themselves). Although people researching may not necessarily evoke mass change in many issues may the first step to change not be society being properly educated and then pushing those in power to make a change? If not, what would you say the first step to change is?
Kind regards,
Ike
Hi there Ikeoluwapo – maybe education is the first step but I doubt it – let’s take climate change – very little demonstrable action has been taken to address, what is essentially a threat to the long term sustainability of the human race, or civilisation as we know it. Every serious minded person knows this is the case and yet nothing is done, global emissions are going up, my argument is that the spreading information does not create change. Once a problem is identified, the second step is to create a movement with clear goals and clear idea of how to challenge existing power structures. I find it laughable that people think social media, which also profits from the spread of any information, whether it educates or informs or creates a false consciousness, is the solution to anything, other than making more money for Zucherberg et al.
Hi Ike,
Thanks for reading my paper. I would definitely say that I agree with you that education is he first step for change as if people are not educated on the issue how will they know how to respond.
Thanks again,
Hoofi
Hi Philip,
Thanks for taking the time to read my paper. I think you make some interesting points and a very compelling argument. Personally, as a younger person, I do see the future of activism through social media platforms. I understand that merely posting about Black Lives Matter may not seem as if it would help the issue of racism but it does empower others to share their stories and bring about awareness which is very important. Awareness is only the start of the revolution, for people to act and evolve their thoughts on these topics, they need to be aware of what is happening. From a generation z point of view, who is quite sheltered, I did not know the extent to which these issues were present as I did not see it on social media which, like many of the this generation, is my main source for information and news. Through seeing these posts it educated me on the issues and developed my own understanding of Black Lives Matter.
Your statement, “I don’t think the power of the State, or the police force (that carry out acts of violence on the State’s behalf) is troubled by a few young people sharing images or making comments on social media.” is the type of thinking that leads to more unheard voices as many young people feel as if they won’t be heard because they are young and therefore have no voice. But seeing how this movement in particular was made global due to many young people posting and making comments on social media. It also encouraged many, myself included, to be apart of petitions and donate to organisations that help fight against social justice. I also think that it did trouble many police officers as since the movement the American government have not given as many ‘passes’ to police officers for police brutality or fatal shootings. Here is an example of this: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/officers-charged-fatal-police-shootings-2021-not-everyone-sees-progres-rcna12799. Although this article’s titles describes it as not everyone sees progress, throughout the article it states that before the movement something like this would have been ‘brushed aside’ but now, as the public who be in uproar, the officers have been convicted of murder.
I understand your points about MLKJr but I think the fact that he is still so present and relevant in today’s society does say that he was a successful campaigner. His ‘I have a dream’ speech is one of the most famous speeches and known globally.
I do see your point how social media can create a fantasy but I also think it displays reality as it brings these issues to light such as the George Floyd video. For more information on how this video impacted the globe I would recommend this article: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/george-floyd-black-lives-matter-impact/
Thank you so much for your comment,
Hoofi.
Hi Hoofi – many thanks for the comments. Agree, and I didn’t fully understand the point that you mention about your own awareness being raised and the fact that people could then use social media as a chance to share their stories. I think with MLK as mentioned below his legacy has been somewhat sanitised and then incorporated into the establishment without changing much. I think we should judge any movement on what it achieves and changes to make people’s lives better.
thanks for making this an interesting discussion – appreciate it.
Hi Phillip,
I just finished reading this paper and you’ve covered a lot of my thoughts so thank you for that! I would have loved a more in-depth discussion of ‘slacktivism’ and the tendency for white social media users to believe they’re enacting social change by posting an infographic. While ‘awareness’ is certainly important, it’s the bare minimum in terms of tangible social change. I would also have loved to see a discussion of Indigenous Australian deaths in custody, and how many Australian Instagram ‘Activists’ were happy to share BLM posts and talk about racial injustice in America, while ignoring Australia’s long history of Indigenous mistreatment and violence.
I also agree with your point about MLK, I highly doubt that mainstream media immediately were on his side because he ‘brought awareness’ to racial injustice, and it seems like an unfortunate oversimplification of his legacy as a Black Activist.
The paper is good but just needs some more stats and substantiating.
– G
Hi Grace, I agree that to some extent people do not connect the dots, between a movement like BLM, which originates in the US, with the issues that affect Aboriginal people in their own country. The deaths in police custody are clearly a national disgrace and I wonder how many online activists are aware of this, which is happening in their own country. The issue with online activism, which is made in the book is made in The net delusion : the dark side of internet freedom / Evgeny Morozov, that online activism can detract from local issues and I think that is one of the key issues that people are no engaged in what’s happening in their local community or engaged in local politics, which is where people can make a difference. On MLK, I think his legacy has been sanitised and he was aware of the way the economy was rigged to immiserate black people, some have argued that MLK was aware of and had read Marx, and was a socialist, which is brushed over in a kind of revisionist history of his legacy, perhaps this is was too threatening to political establishment.
Here is my essay where I discuss slacktivism and the commodification of online movements. Please have a read if you have time and I will read your essay if you share the link.
https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2022/onsc/674/online-activism-does-not-lead-to-material-social-change/
Hi Philip, One of my concerns with the cyclical nature of activism ’causes’ is the tendency for people to ignore issues specific to their own communities, and ones that they have the best chance of actually changing. Although people are able to simultaneously care about multiple issues, of course, I have just noticed a trend of people not focusing on what is happening in their own backyard, and being shocked and horrified at what is happening elsewhere. I’m going to put that book on my to-read pile for sure, thank you for the recommendation! Admittedly I don’t know as much as I probably should about MLK’s legacy, but I don’t think I’ve heard about his activism in relation to Marx before. Super interesting because so much of how Black people are disenfranchised is tied into the way capitalism exploits the working class, which Black people can find harder to move out of because of institutionalised racism. Thanks for the link to your paper, I’ll check it out now!
– G
Hi Grace – spot on, we could all probably help more by getting involved with movements / politics at a grass roots level – like you say more likely to achieve some positive / material change. Sharing stories is all well and good but doesn’t really help me if I’m living in a shanty town or slum. I think the measure of a positive change is improving someones living conditions.
This is a good article about MLK and Marx
https://www.jstor.org/stable/4288462
Hi Hoofi,
Thanks for sharing your paper, I think you drew from a lot of good examples and provided a balanced view of this social media movement. In hindsight, the Black Lives Matter movement on social media was an interesting one to observe because of things like Blackout Tuesday, where there was a joint effort to show solidarity and support for the movement. I do recall seeing soon after criticisms about it, as though it was started with good intentions, for the majority of users that shared the black box, that was the extent of their activism efforts. Such criticisms highlight the delicacy of social issues, as there is not necessarily a set level of types of activism one should participate in and if one participates in such activities out of peer pressure or to maintain one’s image, it misses the point of the movement. I’ve also seen a fair share of posts and comments from influencers and friends that have voiced their concern, heartache and also feelings of being overwhelmed by what was happening, but that they were reading into things in their own time and trying to listen.
Great paper, Hoofi!
Hi Kaylee,
Thanks for your comment. I do remember when Blackout Tuesday was undergoing criticism. From my understanding it was the fact that people were using the wrong hashtag. People were using #BLM instead of #BlackoutTuesday which covered the #BLM in black squares which prevented people from seeing the educational posts and personal stories which was the intention for the hashtag.
Thanks for reading my paper,
Hoofi
Hi Hoofi,
Wow, honestly couldn’t have chosen a more global issue from the past few years to discuss. I really enjoyed reading your paper, especially coming from the perspective of someone that was ignorant to the details of the BLM movement. `There is a lot to be said about the movement online I feel. In-person, the protests and other active rally’s achieved a lot in terms of having the voices of those that lost theirs heard. However, online ‘activism’ was drenched in personal agendas and laziness in my opinion. I felt like influencers, for the most part, were posting purely because they felt like they had to post or they’d face the backlash from cancel culture. That issue has definitely created a pattern of meaningless behaviour from influencers when it comes to political issues especially surrounding race/gender/culture. I am glad you mentioned how influencers grew their followings from speaking out on BLM, it was a shame to see some do it for the purpose of progressing their own careers instead of actively speaking up for the people who’s voices were taken from them.
Social media did serve as a great tool to amplify the reach of the issue, i will say that for sure. I still believe, however, that the disingenuous nature of it put somewhat of a cloud on what should’ve been viewed as a purely positive action. Do you agree/disagree that there was a lot of selfish intentions behind influencers support on their pages?