[A world without Black Twitter is a world void of robust, rapid
and authentic information sharing on police brutality within the Black
community. ]
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BLACK TWITTER’S EXPECTED DEMISE WOULD MAKE IT HARDER TO PUBLICIZE
POLICE BRUTALITY AND DISCUSS RACISM
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Deion Scott Hawkins
November 30, 2022
The Conversation
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_ A world without Black Twitter is a world void of robust, rapid and
authentic information sharing on police brutality within the Black
community. _
#blacktwitter helped mobilize social protests against police
brutality across the country, like this one in New York City in July
2020., Ira L. Black/Corbis
Before the deaths of George Floyd
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Breonna Taylor
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Castile
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and Sandra Bland
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were propelled into the media spotlight, their names were Twitter
#hashtags.
In 2020, Twitter was essential to the spread of historic Black Lives
Matter
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protests against police brutality across the world.
But Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter
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has thrown the future of Black Twitter
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media users argue that the takeover has already had an impact on the
Black social media community.
For instance, not only do multiple sources
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report an almost immediate spike in the use of the N-word
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but Musk has also allegedly mocked
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Black Lives Matter in general and the group’s apparel found at
Twitter’s headquarters in San Francisco, California.
The impact of Musk’s takeover is so abundantly clear that Black
Twitter held its own satire-infused funeral
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What are y'all wearing to Twitter's homegoing service?
pic.twitter.com/CKU8Vjbams [[link removed]]
— Brooklyn White-Grier (@brooklynrwhite) November 11, 2022
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Me & the other 2009 Twitter users busting into the Twitter
headquarters tonight pic.twitter.com/pPR4sl2GYA
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— bria celest (@55mmbae) November 18, 2022
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@IssaRae [[link removed]] go ahead
and launch Hoot Hoot or whatever Lawrence was plotting on… Black
Twitter needs a new home😭
— @themeaghanmckinley on IG (@meaghanmckinley) November 18, 2022
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User tweets clearly take a humorous approach
[[link removed]], a well-documented
coping technique [[link removed]] for the
Black community
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But as a Black professor
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studies communication and police brutality
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envision the implications of Black Twitter’s demise.
It starts with a hashtag
A world without Black Twitter is a world void of robust, rapid and
authentic information sharing on police brutality within the Black
community. As a result, it is my belief that the community will be
systemically silenced and exposed to increased levels of
police-related violence.
Black Twitter
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refers to the digital community within Twitter that embraces and
celebrates Blackness all while circulating topics, stories and images
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affect the Black community. Black Twitter is not defined by geography
or membership.
Instead, it refers to a culture and community co-created by Black
Twitter members. Black Twitter is used to offer cultural critiques,
and to discuss significant historical moments.
Yes its me, Meghan. 👑 pic.twitter.com/TZNGkmkpT5
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— Lady Kachiri (@kachirilady) June 3, 2022
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Pew Research
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has found African Americans who use Twitter are twice as likely (68%)
to discuss issues of race online compared with their white
counterparts (31%). In addition, 85% of those Black users believe
social media to be an important tool in creating sustained social
movements.
Finally, according to Nielsen
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19 million, or 28%, of Twitter’s 67 million users are African
American. And about one in five African Americans are on Black
Twitter.
A 2016 study
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that education, amplifying marginalized voices and pushing for
structural changes to policing were the main goals for Black Twitter
users dedicated to BLM. My dissertation
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clearly shows that the Black community, especially Black millennials
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and Gen Zers
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use Black Twitter as a primary source of information about police
brutality.
I discuss this in greater detail on the Opinion Science Podcast
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Campus On The Common Podcast.
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Without Black Twitter, one of the Black community’s main information
channels would not exist.
First with breaking news
For many social media users, Black Twitter is the first way they hear
of stories involving police brutality.
In fact, I have found that hashtags have replaced breaking news
headlines for some Black Twitter users.
“Honestly, I hear about most cases on Twitter,” one interviewee
told me during my research
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Twitter before it becomes main headline news. News will pick it up
like a day or two after I’ve already seen it on Twitter.”
http://
ON THIS DAY: In 2020, George Floyd was killed.
Floyd’s death, captured on video by a bystander, would lead to
worldwide protests, and a reexamination of racism and policing in the
U.S. [link removed] pic.twitter.com/5gZagd5FnH
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— ABC News (@ABC) May 25, 2022
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On Twitter, a hashtag is no longer just a name. Instead, it often
blossoms into awareness campaigns that seek police reform. Hashtags
are often the catalysts for mobilization, and this mobilization would
be significantly slower in a world without Twitter.
Twitter is often used to document and upload videos of police
brutality. For instance, the video of George Floyd’s death in police
custody was first publicized on Twitter, and then mainstream news
circulated the footage.
I like to think of Black Twitter as the fuel, while mainstream media
are the wheels on the information highway.
Real images in real time
In my research, several interviewees indicated Twitter is the
preferred message channel on police brutality because of its
authenticity.
For many, Black Twitter avoids perceived racial biases of mainstream
media outlets that rely on police sources for information. Instead,
users are exposed to firsthand accounts often filmed by other Black
users.
“I find Twitter to be most credible, especially the firsthand
accounts and videos,” one interviewee told me. “There is something
about seeing videos that makes it more real. There is less time for
someone to flip a story.”
Another interviewee echoed similar ideas, stating, “I definitely
prefer videos on Twitter over hearsay or the news. I don’t trust the
news. But videos serve as solid evidence. I think that’s important
because there are lots of cases where people are killed by police and
we wouldn’t have any evidence if it weren’t for videos on
Twitter.”
For some, like Elon Musk, Twitter may be a digital playground to boost
their wealth and magnify their egos
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But Black Twitter and the information it provides is literally a
matter of life and death.
From Pearl Pearson
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to Breonna Taylor
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to Tamir Rice
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to Philando Castile
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the use of Twitter was essential in gathering evidence, gaining public
attention and pushing for reforms.
In a world where cameras are always on and information is constantly
being shared, police brutality still exists. Imagine what may happen
when there are fewer places to make public those images and
unvarnished stories.[The Conversation]
Deion Scott Hawkins
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Assistant Professor of Argumentation & Advocacy, _Emerson College
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This article is republished from The Conversation
[[link removed]] under a Creative Commons license. Read
the original article
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