In continuing to narrow my focus to resources that articulate the impact of social media on Indigenous Identity, Dinero (2020) articulates the stresses of youths that feel the pressure to prove their Indigenous identities. However, with the use of social media, there is no true “Gatekeeper” to police how one identifies themselves. This paper then articulates how youths and others are given the ability to self identify. This coincides with some of my earlier resources and findings that many Indigenous people are self-identifying to combat the colonial ways where Indigenous people were identified to be controlled or put through genocide. This paper argues that social media allows for flexibility and voices to be heard. Many Indigenous people are using social media to fight for their voice and a seat at the table, meaning, they want their stories and their needs heard and communicated. The paper challenges how some articles articulate indigenous culture as something you can put on and take off. For example, a question about using social media to post Indigenous culture. This resonated with me as I have focused on the loud and sometimes stereotypical posts made by influencers that “demonstrate their culture and identity.” However, this paper accentuates that sharing their everyday lives is sharing their culture. This lens reminds me that culture may not be something I can observe in a post, but the sharing of any kind, is the culture of that individual.
Dinero, S.C. (2020). Virtual tribe: Indigenous identity in social media. McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ubc/reader.action?docID=6129807&ppg=26