Social media are a vital resource for Indigenous Australians, connecting them to community and culture, helping identify those at risk of suicide or self-harm, and offering a powerful outlet for political activism. But racism is a major problem for Indigenous people online.
A new report, , unpacks the complex role social media play in the lives of Indigenous Australians. The research, conducted via qualitative interviews and an online survey, found the most popular social media platforms for participants were Facebook (for family and community posts) and Twitter (for more political activities). Younger people also used Snapchat and Instagram.
More than 80 per cent of participants said they openly identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander on social media.
Many said social media allowed them to feel more connected to their Indigenous identity — particularly those affected by historical disconnections from community and culture. More than 80 per cent of participants said they openly identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander on social media.
"My Aboriginality is the focal point of my identity both in society and online. Specifically, on Facebook, my photos and page, groups and friends all highlight my Aboriginality," one said.
However, more than half of respondents said they were “selective” about what they had posted online, for fear of attracting racist or violent responses. Over 50 per cent said that sometimes they chose not to identify as Indigenous online.
“It’s sometimes safer to not identify as Aboriginal due to discrimination and prejudice,” one participant said.
In the survey, 88 per cent of respondents said they had seen examples of racism towards Indigenous people on social media. Most common was the doubting of identity and the use of memes depicting Indigenous people in a derogatory manner, .
I am not too open about my Indigenous background on social media sites because I am light skinned and have found that people pass judgment and make assumptions.
More than a third of respondents had personally been subjected to racism, 21 per cent had received threats by other users on social media and 17 per cent indicated these had impacted their “offline” lives.
Some respondents reported being questioned over whether they were “really Indigenous”, with critics drawing on stereotypical ideas — particularly about skin colour.
"I am not too open about my Indigenous background on social media sites because I am light skinned and have found that people pass judgment and make assumptions," as one puts it.
Many positives
Despite this, Indigenous people highlighted many positives to social media. These have become a significant avenue for , in areas such as employment, legal services, education, wellbeing and, perhaps most urgently, for those at risk of self-harm and suicide.
Indigenous suicide rates consistently rank among the highest in the world. In our research, 48% of respondents said social media made them feel more likely to be able to identify someone at risk of self-harm or suicide. Indeed several had followed up on social media posts by asking friends, family or police to check in physically on someone.
"I remember one young man was writing some, well, it seemed quite suicidal thoughts on that [Facebook]. So, it ended up a bunch of us actually rallying together to make sure that police were sent around and went to that person’s place and it was all OK," a participant says.
Social media also enabled some participants to reach out for help on issues relating to mental health. These kinds of online practices suggest social media offer a potentially effective platform for developing culturally appropriate suicide interventions and prevention programs.
While Indigenous Australians remain under-represented politically, 79 per cent of our respondents indicated that they were politically active online. Social media have profoundly redistributed power of communication, with mainstream media no longer having such a strong hold on the public narrative.
Recent Indigenous-led and social-media-driven campaigns like , which sought to stop the forced closure of Aboriginal communities in Western Australia, and demonstrate to make their voices heard. Both trended on social media and were creative strategies for resisting, subverting and challenging the political status quo.
Our research shows social media are “different” for Indigenous people. For instance, whereas young people often dismiss Facebook as a place where their parents gather, we found that younger Indigenous Australians are using it to connect to older relatives.
Facebook has also provided an avenue to reconnect for people displaced from their families by past government policies and practices.
Facebook has also provided an avenue to reconnect for people displaced from their families by past government policies and practices. This may be an important process in the future also, given the numbers of .
Indigenous people are also bound by cultural protocols and norms and are not necessarily free to post without consideration for the collective. This is particularly the case for issues related to death.
Despite legitimate concerns about the impact of social media in the wake of the , it’s important to acknowledge that these play a crucial role in the lives of many Indigenous Australians.
For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations, who globally tend to fare worse on many social metrics — income, education, life expectancy, political representation, cultural safety — social media can help facilitate vital networks of support, care and knowledge.
Bronwyn Carlson is a Professor of Indigenous Studies, Faculty of Arts at Macquarie University.
Bronwyn Carlson receives funding from the Australian Research Council.
Associate Research Fellow with the Department of Indigenous Studies, Macquarie University. PhD candidate with the School of Geography and Sustainable Communities, University of Wollongong
Ryan Frazer does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
