Identity, Community, and Technology: Reflections on the Facebook Group Inuit Hunting Stories of the Day

Abstract

In this article I reflect on a particular Inuit use of the social networking site Facebook: the group called Inuit Hunting Stories of the Day. I focus on two main issues. First, I discuss the logic behind current technologies as conceptualized by Albert Borgmann (e.g., 1984), who states that rather than being neutral tools, modern devices foster a particular “taking-up” with the world that leads to disengagement from community and meaningful practices. Arguing against this view, I discuss how Inuit Hunting Stories of the Day is an example of how the internet and Facebook are appropriated and provide meaningful engagement. Second, I follow anthropologist Claudio Aporta’s (2013) notion of ecology of technology and argue that the relationship between technology and Inuit has to be understood within an ecological framework that encompasses the broader context of political, economic, and social change, which are intertwined with the use, appropriation, adoption, and adaptation of technology. Drawing from the ecology of technology perspective, it is my central argument that technology and computer-mediated communication bring proximity to cultural practices, activities, and the land rather than provoking distance and alienation from reality, as commonly expressed in dystopian notions.

"Being connected to my Shuswap family in the south": a reflective inquiry into the social media experiences of Indigenous youth in Northern and rural British Columbia

“…Within social media environments, cultural engagements might be understood as the flow of cultural ideas and resources (Krebs, 2011, May 30). Cultural engagement on social media also refers to moments when people form or join groups for the purposes of sharing about culture (Castleton, 2016). Because culture is a social construct that is maintained through communication (Baran, 2002), it is reasonable to suspect that important ways by which we express our culture (such as our identity) might be influenced by peculiar norms and practices on communication channels such as social media.…”

“…Rather than have Indigenous cultures be interpreted through the eyes of non-Indigenous peoples, as in Hollywood movies (Baldy, 2016;Glennie, 2018), Indigenous peoples have been using social media to take control over how they are portrayed; to share their culture through their own stories about creation and traditional practices, like berry picking, moose hunting, moose hide tanning, seal hunting, medicinal plants; as well as to showcase their music and art (Kral, 2011;Molyneaux et al, 2014;Rodgers & Scobie, 2015;Wachowich & Scobie, 2010). In these instances, social media has joined a list of modern technologies, such as rifles and snowmobiles, through which Indigenous peoples participate in traditional practices by adapting to their environment (Castleton, 2016(Castleton, , 2018.…”

“…Social media can thus also be an important tool for bringing non-Indigenous peoples closer to Indigenous cultures and can be used as a tool for stimulating conversations about racism, combatting racism, and redressing conflicts that arise from racial differences (Kopacz & Lawton, 2011a, 2011b. Castleton (2016Castleton ( , 2018, Christensen (2003) and Griebeli (2016) describe social media as recent contemporary adaptations for the co-production of Indigenous identities.…”

“…Simply put, Indigenous peoples are purposefully using social media to enact their identities. Among Indigenous youth, identity expression occurs through the sharing of pictures and videos of cultural practices, rap music, art and creolized language 20 (Castleton, 2016;Cocq, 2015;Nascimento, 2017;Wachowich & Scobie, 2010). Indigenous leaders, Elders, and communities do not always approve of public displays of hybrid Indigenous identities (Korff, 2019).…”

“…Additionally, Indigenous peoples create links between multiple social media accounts such as posting YouTube links on Facebook and on Twitter (Castleton, 2016;Rodgers & Scobie, 2015). Communication on social media platforms can be both textual and visual, such as using emojis 21 , memes 22 , vines 23 , and animated GIFs 24 (Hinzo & Clark, 2019).…”