TECHNOLIBERAL PARTICIPATION: BLACK LIVES MATTER AND INSTAGRAM SLIDESHOWS

Authors

  • Matthew Salzano University of Maryland, United States of America

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5210/spir.v2021i0.12034

Keywords:

Instagram, templatability, participation, anti-racism, allyship

Abstract

After the murder of George Floyd in May 2020, Black Lives Matter protests surged around the globe. Amid COVID-19, activism on social media flourished. On Instagram, use of the ten-image carousel as an informative slideshow akin to a PowerPoint presentation gained significant attention: The New York Times highlighted their “effort to democratize access to information." In this paper, I rhetorically analyze case studies to illustrate how Instagram slideshows facilitated deliberation about participation. I argue that these posts reveal a tension in platformed digital activism: as digital templates broaden access to participation, technoliberal ideology constrains activist judgment.

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Published

2021-09-15

How to Cite

Salzano, M. (2021). TECHNOLIBERAL PARTICIPATION: BLACK LIVES MATTER AND INSTAGRAM SLIDESHOWS. AoIR Selected Papers of Internet Research, 2021. https://doi.org/10.5210/spir.v2021i0.12034

Issue

Section

Papers S