Abstract:
This paper explores the role social media plays with preserving and advocating Indigenous Australians cultural heritage. Since the expansion of social media, we can identify how social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok, have given Indigenous Australians a platform and opportunity to showcase their cultures, storytelling, artwork, beliefs and values, languages and traditions in many different creative ways. It is so important to celebrate this culture and respect these online communities as this was once something Indigenous Australians didn’t have the opportunity to do. Setting in fears about the disintegration of their longstanding cultures becoming extinct. Through these online communities, we’ve also been exposed to these minority groups using their social platforms to advocate for political understanding and recognition such as during ‘The Voice to Parliament’ campaign. However, in saying this, it is important to understand and raise awareness about the online harassment, bullying, racism and cyberbullying these minority groups are still experiencing in modern day society on these online platforms. Throughout this online negativity, these communities experience, it is incredible to note the resilience and pride they all share in relation to their historic cultures and it is something that should be celebrated by Australians collectively each day.
Introduction:
Indigenous Australians are recognised as the first peoples of Australia, holding a rich history and deep connections to the land in which predates colonisation by thousands of years, making them a solid foundation of Australia’s identity and heritage. ‘Social Media’ platforms are websites and applications allowing users to exchange information, communicate and more commonly create online communities. Social media has played a significant role in promoting and preserving Indigenous Australians Cultural Heritage by allowing users to express their cultures across various platforms to their online communities and assert cultural identity in ways that was previously unavailable prior to the expansion and accessibility of social media platforms. Social media has helped empower and preserve Indigenous Australian identities, cultures, languages and their connection with the land, with these platforms fostering a sense of belonging to these indigenous communities both locally and globally. In saying this, Indigenous Australians using these platforms has also attracted online negativity and harm to these communities experiencing online hate speech, racism, and cyber bullying. This paper explores how Indigenous Australians have used their platforms to create online communities to express their heritage and cultures. As well as how Indigenous Australians have used their online communities and platforms to advocate for change in the Australian populations general perception of their identity, cultural practices, and promoting political policies. And finally, looking at the challenges and online harassment these Indigenous Australian online communities experience whilst advocating their cultures.
Body Paragraph 1 – How Indigenous Australians have used their online platforms to create online communities to express their heritage and cultures
Social media platforms have fostered an online community for Indigenous Australians to express and advocate longstanding cultural traditions and heritage of their peoples through many different creative avenues. In a study, themes that young Indigenous Australians commonly expressed through the use of social media were “Identity, power and control, cultural compatibility and community and family connections” (Rice et al., 2016). In relation to the Stolen Generation, from the late nineteenth century, “Australian governments, as a practice and as a policy, removed part-Aboriginal children from their mothers, parents, families and communities, often by force.” (Manne, 1998) Due to the implications of this trauma and injustice in Australian history, Indigenous Australians are still confronted with the repercussions of this trauma on a day-to-day basis. Indigenous Australians being “deeply concerned about the future of their community and dozens of others across the state”. (Carlson et al., 2021). As a result of these events, many Indigenous cultural practices, stories and languages were at jeopardy of being completely abolished, due to the assimilation of the Indigenous Australian population. However, through the rise of social platforms, Indigenous Australians are not only reaching a global scaled audience but have accessibility to freely discuss their culture and raise awareness about the trauma they endured and continue storytelling of their cultures.
Platforms such as TikTok and Instagram have been popular social media applications used by Indigenous Australians to visually share photos, blogs, vlogs, artwork and videos of culturally significant content to their audience expressing themselves all in unique and creative ways. Aboriginal Dot Painting is culturally significant artwork, Indigenous Australians have been crafting for thousands of years. “Dots can be seen in symbolic patterns carved on artefacts and ancient rock galleries. They were used in sand paintings and in body painting for ceremonies.” (Gallery, 2019). Presten Warren who I follow on TikTok, is a creator who uses his platform to continue the traditions of dot painting and other culturally significant Aboriginal artwork, “Storytelling Through Connection, Culture & Colour”, (Warren, 2025). Warren engages with his community promoting and advocating cultural awareness around Indigenous Australians expressing the stories behind these pieces he creates. Warren also has a website allowing people to support and embrace his culture by purchasing pieces of his artwork. (Warren, 2025).
Sianna Catullo is a Narungga woman and is the Head of Marketing at ‘Clothing The Gaps’. Catullo is passionate about amplifying Aboriginal voices and promotes this through “community led storytelling through video & photography”. (Clothing the Gaps, 2024). Catullo also co-founded ‘Blakground Productions’, “to put storytelling back in the hands of Mob, ensuring First Nations creatives lead the way in the industry”. (Blakground Prod., 2024). Achievements of this company include filming ‘VIC NAIDOC’, collaborated with the Eddie Betts foundation and worked with Champion on a NAIDOC campaign. Catullo has used her social media platform and companies she is apart of, to advocate cultural significance to both a global and international audience, incorporating her heritage into clothing wear and into NAIDOC which “celebrate and recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.” (NAIDOC, 2025).
Body Paragraph 2 – How Indigenous Australians have used their online communities and platforms to advocate for change in the Australian populations general perception of their identity, cultural practices, and promoting political policies
Indigenous Australians are continuously using their online platforms to advocate for change within the Australian nation, in relation to their perceived identity, cultural practices being overlooked and most importantly feeling heard and seen in respect with government recognition and policymaking. Indigenous Australians often misrepresented by mainstream media, expressing “Daily newspapers, radio, television, and social media usually portray Indigenous peoples in the deficit mode of humanity. We are overrepresented as always lacking, dysfunctional, alcoholic, violent, needy, and lazy.” (Moreton-Robinson, 2015).
Social media has become a pivotal space for Indigenous Australian communities to discuss their ideas and viewpoints on certain topics and generally raise awareness to other Australians about the impacts such decisions might have on the First Nations peoples cultures and heritage.
‘Uluru Statement from the Heart’ was a powerful declaration, with Aboriginal Australians demanding ‘constitutional reform’, calling “for the establishment of a First Nations Voice enshrined in the Constitution”. (Uluru Statement from the Heart, 2025). “This sovereignty is a spiritual notion: the ancestral tie between the land, or ‘mother nature’, and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who were born therefrom, remain attached thereto, and must one day return thither to be united with our ancestors.” (Uluru Statement from the Heart, 2025). Teela Reid is a Wiradjuri & Wailwan woman, who is an activist, lawyer and the inaugural Indigenous Practitioner-in-Residence at Sydney Law School. Using social media platform TikTok to educate and advocate for the ‘Uluru Statement From the Heart’ campaign. By doing so, the audience reach Reid is making using this type of platform, is broader and reaching a typically younger demographic of people that may not be exposed to main stream media such as the news.
The ’Voice to Parliament’ campaign is another great example of how Indigenous Australians used their social media platforms as an opportunity to advocate for government recognition and inclusive policymaking to their peoples. The ‘Voice to Parliament’ campaign which stemmed from the Uluru Statement from the Heart, aimed at calling for an advisory body of Indigenous Australians a formal voice in political decision making. This was a national referendum in 2023, however the final outcome resulting in a ‘No’ vote. “Alongside the official campaigns, ordinary Australians are using platforms such as TikTok to reach hundreds of thousands of voters with their arguments for and against the Voice to Parliament.” (Rangiah, 2023). Conor Bowden and Jaiden McGregor two Indigenous Australian friends took to TikTok videos explaining “why they were voting yes”, reaching 800,000 thousand views on one video. (Rangiah, 2023).
Body Paragraph 3 – The challenges and online harassment these Indigenous Australian online communities experience whilst advocating their cultures
Whilst advocacy on social media has provided so many benefits including, changes in general perceptions, educating people surrounding awareness of the First Nations peoples cultures and heritage, it has most importantly has fostered a sense of belonging for so many of the Indigenous Australian communities. However, in saying this, unfortunately, with positives, comes negatives, with impacts of this social media advocacy “In Australian social media platforms, non-Indigenous social media users commonly utilize digital spaces to communicate anti-Aboriginal racism.” (Al-Natour, 2020). With negative impacts including: “cyber bullying, cyber racism and the exchange of sexually explicit content between minors are common with limited approaches to dealing with this at the community level.” (Rice et al., 2016).
As discussed previously, during the ‘Voice to Parliament’ referendum, this sparked outcry, and racism was at an all-time high, leading up to the vote. Conor Bowden and Jaiden McGregor, reporting to the media that during the process of advocating for the ‘Voice to Parliament’ campaign, “since the referendum was announced, Jaiden and Conor said they’ve noticed more hateful remarks about First Nations people spreading on social media.”, (Rangiah, 2023). And as a result of this spike, it began “affecting their mental health”, (Rangiah, 2023). Dameyon Bonson, who founded First Nations LGBTQI+SB wellbeing service ‘Black Rainbow’ (WellMob, 2020), also added that “other platforms such as X (Twitter) had also become forums for racism against First Nations people.” (Rangiah, 2023). Whilst on the flip side of the referendum, ‘No’ voter, former NSW state Liberal candidate Freya Leach, used TikTok to promote her opinion on the referendum, and since was targeted by “personal attacks” and considered “racist”. (Rangiah, 2023).
We can begin to understand, based on this continued racism against Aboriginal Australians, there is still a massive misrepresentation of First Nation peoples cultural practices on digital media. Seeing mimics made online of their dot painting and traditional ceremonial events, not understanding the disrespect Aboriginal Australians are faced with, and the potential disintegration of their culture they have promoted for thousands of years. In which creates a divisive country and as a result, Indigenous Australians not feeling valued or a part of their country.
Sadly enough, this cyberbullying and racism online has contributed to the “alarming rise in suicide rates among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, at a 30 per cent increase over the past five years” (Gartner, 2024).
Despite this negativity on these digital platforms, Indigenous Australians remain standing strong together against these challenges and have continued promoting their cultures and heritage to the world. They have continued traditions of their aboriginal dot paintings and artwork and continue hosting ceremonies with their peoples.
Conclusion:
Since the emergence of technology and the rise in accessibility of social media platforms. It can be recognised how Indigenous Australians have used their platforms to advocate their cultures across various platforms to empower and unite other Indigenous Australians to be proud of their culture and traditions that have been taught and celebrated for thousands of years. Their advocation derives from the idea of being ‘One’ with other fellow non-aboriginal Australians. I think it is clear to conclude that Australia, is growing and learning from previous mistakes, and has become a multicultural home to many Indigenous Australians, Non-Indigenous Australians and other cultures and races from abroad. These platforms being used such as TikTok and Instagram have been used as a voice, gaining massive traction for our younger generations, specifically having the opportunity to be exposed to significant culture and history of Australia, whilst also being further educated in a creative and compelling way. I think its important to recognise how far Indigenous Australians have come in their political voice and unitedness, with the ‘Uluru Statement from the Heart’ and ‘Voice to Parliament’ referendum, by utilising social media to share their opinions and educate all Australians. However, it is also crucial to recognise the devastation online communities can create offering negativity, cyberbullying and racism online. It’s important to note that this is never acceptable, and that Indigenous Australians will keep showcasing their cultures online and stand strong together.
References:
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Hi Shannon Kate, You’re right to ask; it is incredibly difficult to police these issues today. Predatory behaviour isn’t exclusive…