In a survey by the Pew Research Center, black people were more likely than white people to believe that social media sites are important for getting involved politically and expressing their opinions. The more expansive opportunities for expression afforded by Instagram and other social platforms have resonated especially with communities of color. Instagram and other social media platforms provide an undivided space for activists to share specific calls to action, primary source footage, and commentaries on policy change without violating the terms of service. Beyond that, many local news outlets prefer to stay apolitical, meaning it’s hard for activists to utilize this media without being censored for potentially polarizing opinions. These censored clips dulled activists’ messages and made it difficult to communicate the severity of the situation.
#Instagram infographic 2015 full
Historically, for instance, media outlets have been unable to show full clips of violent police interactions due to sensitivity guidelines. This is especially applicable to marginalized voices and perspectives. Since Instagram provides a way to increase these peripheral participants to a young, eager audience, it has become the ideal platform for activists to invigorate a new audience and build a robust movement.Īdditionally, Instagram activism provides a more accessible avenue for activists to share their experiences than traditional venues for discourse such as newspapers, academia, and publications. 2 Overall, the researchers found that these peripheral participants aren’t as useful to a movement individually as a core participant, but the numbers they provide help spread the message far beyond its initial audience. In fact, as a study from New York University’s Data Science Center confirms, peripheral participants (defined as the “immense majority of users who surround the small epicenter of protests”) are essential to maximizing the reach of messages from the core participants of a movement. Although their contributions might be limited at this stage, their presence is essential in the success of a movement.
Raising awareness on platforms such as Instagram allows activists and ideas to reach audiences that normally would not be exposed to these social issues and allows youth who are limited in traditional avenues of protest and activism, such as protests, to get involved online. Similarly, young people are accustomed to hearing about local issues through word of mouth on Instagram, making it an ideal platform to organize protests and events. Rather than reading publications or watching the news, a teenager is much more likely to be exposed to new information while scrolling through their feed. 1 In part, this is because Instagram is widely used among teenagers for entertainment, education, and information. Surprisingly, these activists told NBC News that Instagram was the perfect platform to share content and organize in-person events. The roots of this transformation sprung from the need of activists for a platform to amplify their message digitally.
Instagram infographic activism should be dependent not only on the actual content that is posted, but on how users choose to interact with it, both online and in real life.
Perhaps the answer to how we perceive this new type of activism lies somewhere in between. The new wave of activism has drawn both acclaim and criticism, ranging from scorn at perceived “performative activism” to praise about how these campaigns elevate marginalized voices to the general public. Traditionally a platform dedicated to aesthetic vacation and lifestyle pictures, it now offers a space for activists to share information through aesthetic templates and ten slide posts. In the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests in the summer of 2020, “Instagram infographic activism” has become a phenomenon that has changed the focus of the app. The variety of posts is endless and readily repostable for the average Instagram user. These new posts range from bright pink slideshows promoting gender equality to tribute artwork for victims of police violence to lists of resources and petitions supporting various causes. The platform has evolved into a favored space for activists to share their perspectives and for youth to receive these messages. Nowadays, Instagram looks quite a bit different. I personally remember trying to capture artsy, colorful snapshots of my Starbucks Frappuccino and slapping a vignette filter over my sunset just like any other 13 year old back then.
Around five years ago, the typical teen scrolling through their Instagram feed would have encountered brightly saturated vacation photos, Tumblr-esque fashion inspiration posts, cute animal videos, or cheesy inspirational quotes over a galaxy background.
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