#BlackLivesMatter: Exploring the digital practises of African Australian youth on social media

Abstract

African Australian diasporic literature has drawn attention to the anti-Black racism Black African young people endure in everyday Australia. By drawing on a multi-method approach consisting of social media ethnography and multiple participant interviews, this paper explores the use of social media by Black African young people (n=15) to visibilise their experiences of racism. We situate the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, as a significant ‘turning point’ when the social media practises of our participants radically transformed. Our findings indicate that prior to the murder of George Floyd, participants evoked careful boundaries around the type of racial content they posted for fear of the punishments or backlash that could occur if they disrupted the white racial comfort of their friends and followers. After the murder of Floyd, participants used the resurgence of the #BlackLivesMatter Movement to visibilise their own experiences of anti-Black racism and racial violence in Australia, sharing content on social media that marked whiteness, demanded safety and challenged white silence and performative allyship.

Reclaiming racial dignity: An ethnographic study of how African youth in Australia use social media to visibilise anti‐Black racism

“…For example, participants felt they must abide by certain rules of how to talk about racism in a way that did not offend or disrupt the racial comfort of their white friends and followers. That means, “under the watchful gaze of whiteness, [such rules] allowed them to structure their digital spaces and practises” to avoid more racialisation (Moran & Gatwiri, 2022, p. 12). Participants' management of white fragility was particularly evident prior to the BLM resurgence in May 2020, and continued to be an ongoing factor that shaped their digital practices.…”

“…Following the resurgence of the BLM movement in May 2020, we noticed participants became a lot more vocal and direct on their social media platforms about anti‐Black racism and violence (we have written more about this transition in Moran & Gatwiri, 2022). The posts captured during this time demonstrated participants reversing the gaze by posting content that spoke to the double standards of Australia's multiculturalism.…”

“…Social media has played a significant role in visibilising anti‐Black violence and discourse (Clarke, 2019; Krutrök & Åkerlund, 2022; Moran & Gatwiri, 2022). A growing body of scholarship—particularly from the United States—has explored the social media experiences of Black users (see Brock, 2020; Maragh, 2018).…”

Laughing from the Outside‐In: Considering ‘What's Up Africa’ as an(other) humorous humanitarian digilantism

“…This approach and vantage point are reminiscent of the digilantism observed in Black Twitter (Florini, 2014), an activistic-orientated social media movement centred around distinct Black issues. Similar to WUA, Black Twitter crafts oppositional narratives to confront the marginalisation and stigma associated with their identities constructed within and propagated by the White majoritarian mainstream public sphere (Moran & Gatwiri, 2022). Amid shifts towards reflective humanitarian communication (Chouliaraki, 2010), WUA effectively raises awareness of Africa's misrepresentation.…”

Can immigration moderate the adverse effects of political instability on international tourism? A case study of Australia

“…Australia is well regarded as a protected liberal democracy. However, the racist discourse against immigrants, in addition to the criticism of multiculturalism in public debates is increasing (Kwansah-Aidoo and Mapedzahama, 2018; Moran and Gatwiri 2022). Despite Australia’s commitment to the democratic principles of justice, equality, tolerance, and fairness (Kwansah-Aidoo and Mapedzahama, 2018: p. 84), “silent racism” among ethnic groups is increasing.…”