A friend of mine encouraged me to check out an Instagram page that she recently uncovered. The profile belongs to a young Indigenous boy named Opie with the username “baby_opie_”. As I scrolled through his Instagram feed and looked at the photos and videos, I felt a more personal connection to Indigenous culture. When used responsibly, I feel that social media has the potential to provide opportunities for young Indigenous people to extend their identities online. By sharing stories and videos, they give voice to their Indigenous identities. A platform such as this allows Indigenous people to represent themselves, putting them in control in terms of the content that they choose to share with others, especially with the non-Indigenous community.
This Instagram profile is open to the public. Opie’s parents also have their own individual Instagram profiles. If you have an Instagram account, check it out! He’s got quite a big following.
A perfect example of how social media can be used to promote cultural identity and awareness! Thanks for sharing.