Tag Archives: social media

Jessica Presta: Module 4, Post 5

My review of social media and its affordances for Indigenous people seeking to explore and share their identities would not be complete without a look at some of the challenges to engaging in these digital spaces. Many Indigenous social media users have to continually weigh the risk vs benefit of being open about their Indigeneity in online spaces. This is due to the potential for backlash, racism, bullying, and violence. If they do share their Indigeneity, then it becomes a question of how much.

In Carlson and Kennedy’s (2019) article, they analyze results from their online survey of Indigenous respondents and share many of the challenges they face to participating in these environments as openly Indigenous. Some participants discuss sharing their Indigeneity to then only have it be questioned because they don’t look a certain way. Some have had to face stereotypes of criminality and inferiority. Others have faced intense discrimination and prejudice. Because of this, 50% of their respondents stated they omit certain aspects of their Indigeneity for safety and self preservation. One respondent discussed how social media can fuel these behaviors because it “gives racism a platform and … becomes a tool for people with not very good intentions” (2019). What was new for me, is that this form of racism is called ‘platformed racism’ because it is derived from the culture of social media platforms.

Anonymity has been another factor in the ability of social media users incivility to go unchecked. There have been many studies done that depict how this behavior is tied to whether or not the user’s identity is intact or not. Sadly, they discuss how racism in these digital environments is on the rise and how 62% of their respondents had faced racist and harmful content daily. Despite this, Indigenous people continue to brave online trolls, and risk their safety, in order to control what their identity is and how they want to share it.

Jessica Presta: Module 4, Post 4

The other question I was curious about answering, was how culturally compatible sharing content on social media is with their culture. What I often find in reference to this is how sometimes creating and sharing content allows Indigenous content creators to practice the art of storytelling and how they need to respect their elders as knowledge keepers, therefore not over share.

Storytelling, which is a common Indigenous practice used to teach and educate others, is used by many Indigenous content creators on their platforms. However, they have to strike a balance between sharing their identities and their cultures while still respecting their elders as knowledge keepers. Often, many content creators explain how they share parts of who they are, and parts of their culture, which they feel is safe and appropriate for them to share within these digital environments. They also discuss intentionally not sharing parts of their culture or traditional practices that are considered sacred. Here are some examples of Indigenous content creators discussing how they find ways to remain culturally compatible with their online activity.

The rest of the article along with TikTok’s from these Indigenous content creators can be found here. 

Jessica Presta: Module 4, Post 3

Indigenous people’s use of digital technologies and social media provides them with a medium from which they can share their culture and their identity. By doing so, they combat long standing barriers to visibility. Therefore, I wanted to investigate what features of social media allow them to boost their visibility to larger audiences on these platforms. As I mentioned in my last blog post, a platform that prioritizes abundance and uses unbiased algorithms is a first step to increasing your visibility among users. Another way is through the use of hashtags. One such hashtag that is frequently used among Indigenous content creators and is boosting their visibility among each other and people outside of their culture is #NativeTikTok.

The use of hashtags on TikTok is easily viewable due to TikTok’s transparency with a lot of the data they collect. With a simple search in my own app, these are some of the statistics I found related to Indigenous based hashtags, and their views. Notice #NativeTikTok has 8.8 BILLION views!!

And as you can see, not only can I search for content that has used that hashtag, but I can also look at who is currently doing a LIVE video, I can listen to top trending sounds that are associated with that hashtag, I can watch videos that have used that hashtag, see users as well as the top trending content that has used that hashtag. This cache of content has been created by Indigenous people from all over the world, connecting them and creating a global community like never before. Not only do Indigenous people get to learn about their own cultures and traditions, but they get to learn about hundreds of other distinct native nations worldwide.

The act of being able to share their culture and some traditions, when before it was illegal to do so, is empowering. Having a tool like TikTok that allows Indigenous content creators to break the cycle of invisibility and to be known as contemporary, modern people, enables them to smash stereotypes in order to be truly seen as equal.

 

Jessica Presta: Module 4, Post 2

Taking a closer look at the benefits of social media for Indigenous people lead me to this article: Social Media in Remote First Nation Communities which looks at the link between social networking sites and community resilience in Ontario. Their study surveyed 663 respondents from the Sioux Lookout region of northwestern Ontario with the goal of finding a deeper understanding of the way social media supports community resilience while preserving culture in some of the most remote First Nations communities in Canada. 

What they found was resiliency in First Nations communities depends on access to social capital, sharing stories, and networking. It comes as no surprise that social media can foster and facilitate these things. By keeping communities in Northern Canada connected over long, cold winters, more active communication and information seeking activities are engaged in creating social capital. This bonding of people through the use of social media creates communities which builds social capital and in turn, builds economic capital.

Sharing stories aids community members in understanding their histories, plights, and culture. It also offers opportunities to imagine a positive future and maintain the continuity of their culture. Social media supports networking through the UI’s design and ability to allow for connections within and among community members. It also allows for Indigenous people to connect with other Indigenous people outside of their communities and geographies, while influencing the wider society.

These affordances then translate into a more resilient community that can communicate within and outside of their members while preserving their culture. These connections within their community support social gatherings such as land-based activities, eating traditional foods, and other cultural activities.

Jessica Presta: Module 4, Post 1

We can’t talk about the use of digital technologies and platforms such as social media without discussing the algorithms that are operating behind the scenes to make it all happen. During my exploration of how Indigenous content creators share their identities through the use of these platforms, I came across a few new terms. These terms are related to algorithms and their impacts and and extend beyond the commonly known term of algorithmic bias. These terms and their definitions highlight some of the advantages and disadvantages of social media.

Algorithmic Folklore: describes the strategies TikTok users employ to crack the algorithmic black box and deduce what will deliver viral success.

Algorithmic Gossip: is an example of peer-to- peer research where creators collaborate on cracking the code of the algorithmic black box.

Strategic Knowledge: is a users deliberate engagement tactics with social media platforms to feed algorithms information in order to specify which content the algorithm should populate on a users feed.

Strategic Ignorance: by carefully choosing what tech companies don’t know about their users, they fail to protect the health and well-being of adolescents and other users on their platforms.

The Identity Strainer Theory: describes when users believe an algorithm filters out and suppresses certain social identities.

Algorithmic Privilege: is held by users positioned to benefit from algorithms on the basis of their identities.

Algorithmic Representational Harm: the harm users experience when they lack algorithmic privilege and are subjected to algorithmic symbolic annihilation.

Terms have been derived from:

https://www.regs2riches.com/p/-tiktok-on-reconciliation

https://points.datasociety.net/strategic-knowledge-6bbddb3f0259

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Nadia-Karizat/publication/355400840_Algorithmic_Folk_Theories_and_Identity_How_TikTok_Users_Co-Produce_Knowledge_of_Identity_and_Engage_in_Algorithmic_Resistance/links/61704271750da711ac5d3665/Algorithmic-Folk-Theories-and-Identity-How-TikTok-Users-Co-Produce-Knowledge-of-Identity-and-Engage-in-Algorithmic-Resistance.pdf

Jessica Presta: Module 3, Post 5

Here is a short, 9 minute interview with Vanessa and Deanne. They talk about how they are able to use TikTok to connect with members of their community to amplify their voices and bring awareness to important causes. Their personal stories are inspiring and impactful. This is a great representation of how Indigenous people are using these platforms to share their narrative, unadulterated.

As discussed by Vass Bednar and Jesse Hirsch (2022) in their opinion piece, TikTok is proving to be more effective in amplifying Indigenous voices than Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). They identify some of the key features of TikTok that allow for its success to do this:

  • Different algorithmic priorities
  • Greater opportunities for creators to find success
  • Data collection practices through the use of short, densely packed videos that loop
  • Responsive algorithmically curated content
  • Creators get rapid and responsive feedback
  • Easy to connect with audiences
  • Creators access to analytics
  • The ability to be a part of groups and subcultures
  • Model of abundance, lots of creators, lots of content, minimal restrictions

Indigenous content creators have had large success on the platform due to the popularity of their content and an unbiased algorithm that minimizes barriers to promoting their content. This largely contrasts to the barriers and control exerted by broadcasting companies such as CBC.

Another interesting finding I came across during my research of social media as a lever of Indigenous identity, is the TikTok accelerator program aimed at uplifting Indigenous voices and stories.

To learn more about this program and how it supports Canadian Indigenous content creators, click here. 

Jessica Presta: Module 3, Post 2

This is Ilona Verley, she identifies as trans and two-spirit and is from the Nlaka’pamux Nation. She was born in Nanaimo but grew up on the Skuppah reserve near Lytton, as well as in Vancouver. She has been a vocal advocate for the community of Lytton BC when it was decimated by wildfires, urging the government to show up and support her community. She was also a participant on season 1 of Canada’s Drag Race. Like so many others, Ilona also experienced shame about her Indigenous heritage and felt the pressure to be white-passing in order to be successful. Despite having a supportive family and community, she also experienced shame as a result of her queerness. Verley is outspoken about how European colonialism introduced homophobia and rigid gender roles that didn’t previously exist in many Indigenous societies and how competing on Canada’s Drag Race gave her an opportunity to combat that narrative.

Jessica Presta: Module 3, Post 1

As my research focus for the final project has pivoted to looking at how Indigenous people identify and represent themselves online, some key questions had to be answered. First, my project-mate and I have to agree on a definition of identity, determining whether or not this is ascribed, prescribed or subscribed. Second, we need to situate our research in our respective places, looking at similarities and differences between Indigenous groups in British Columbia and Ontario.

As a starting place for my research, I began looking into what level of Indigenous representation exists online in my local context. Once I get a sense of how Indigenous people use social media to share their identities online, I can start to make inferences about how to interpret their definition of identity. Then I can take these inferences and so how they align with what is in the literature.

In my investigations, I came across some unique and inspiring Indigenous content creators who are sharing parts of their identity across platforms such as YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. The first content creator I want to share is Owen Unruh.

He is a Vernon born, two-spirit, Nêhiyaw (Cree) with ties to the Driftpile First Nations. He was adopted and raised in Fort Nelson. Growing up he experienced immense shame as a result of his queerness and Indigenous identity. Due to this he turned to drugs and has struggled with addiction. Owen leverages social media platforms such as TikTok to share his journey with addiction recovery, reclaiming his identity and reconnecting with his cultural roots. His goal with sharing his story is to inspire other Indigenous youth to feel comfortable in their skin and to value sobriety.

@owen.unruh

I always think of what to say after the fact ???? #vancouver #toronto #fyp #addiction #native

♬ original sound – Owen Unruh

Digital Equity Challenge #NEXT150, M2- POST 3

In this link, you can find a video from Denise Willimas, the Executive Director of the First Nations Technology Council.

She is inviting everyone to participate in a challenge by comparing their internet speed to the national average and sharing one fact about Digital Equity and Digital Divide in Canada using #NEXT150

One example of the shared facts is that “76% of Indigenous communities in BC do not have the broadband connectivity needed to access government services.”

I’ve searched the given hashtag on my own social media account and found some interesting posts and comments.

The following pictures made by Indigenous artists (twitter names: @auraLast and @chiefladybird), for example, were posted as part of a commitment to include #IndigenousArtInPublic spaces we share.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FeYpWgPWAAIb-j_?format=jpg&name=medium

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FeYpWgRWYAA_ytT?format=jpg&name=medium

 

SIKU (Sea Ice) – The Indigenous Knowledge Social Network

Module 1 – Post 5

For my last post, I wanted to explore a digital tool being developed and used by Inuit communities. The Arctic Elder Society has produced a social network application with the guiding principles of:

  • Respect
  • Self-determination
  • Intellectual Property
  • Integrity

It combines Inuktuk information and tools for knowledge sharing, mapping, and preserving languages. They also focus on privacy and data sovereignty. One of the most interesting features is the SIKU Ice Profiles page, there are photos, descriptions, and terms in various Inuktut dialects.

Learn more about the app here: https://siku.org/about