#blacktwitterpower

Digital Resistance and Decolonial Power 

How does Black Twitter function as a form of resistance against racial bias in mainstream media, and what does this reveal about the potential of digital spaces to challenge systemic oppression? 

Black Twitter serves as a powerful site of resistance where users reframe narratives imposed by biased media coverage. By employing “textual poaching,” users subvert mainstream portrayals of Black individuals, as seen in the viral #APHeadlines hashtag. This movement exemplified “textual poaching as resistance,” using satire to call out implicit bias: “Through facetious comedy and jokes Twitter users were able to create a space that allowed them to voice their anger” (Lee, 2017). Digital platforms like Black Twitter demonstrate the potential for marginalized voices to reclaim narratives and influence public discourse, proving that virtual spaces can serve as modern battlegrounds for justice. 

To what extent can online activism challenge traditional power structures, and how effective are Internet-based methods compared to Internet-enhanced ones in generating tangible political change? 

Online activism has proven capable of bypassing traditional power structures by creating alternative networks of information and mobilization. While Internet-enhanced activism raises awareness efficiently, Internet-based activism often forces direct confrontation. For example, the Electronic Disturbance Theatre’s “FloodNet” disrupted government websites, representing “electronic civil disobedience” aimed at drawing attention, not causing harm (Vegh, 2003). However, as Vegh notes, “the most successful online advocacy campaigns seem to be the ones that combine the different types of lobbying and mobilization” (Vegh, 2003), suggesting that hybrid approaches are more effective than purely digital actions in achieving long-term political change. 

To what extent does Christian Fuchs challenge the idea of “Twitter revolutions” in his critique of Castells’ view on social media’s role in movements like the Arab Spring and Occupy, and what implications does this have for understanding the true drivers of collective action? 

Fuchs critically challenges Castells’ techno-deterministic view by arguing that revolutions are not caused by the Internet itself but by people embedded in societal struggles. He states, “Castells’ model is simplistic: social media results in revolutions and rebellions” (Fuchs, 2014). Instead, Fuchs emphasizes that media effects are shaped by context, power relations, and strategies. This critique implies that understanding collective action requires attention to underlying political and economic structures, not just communication technologies. The notion of “Twitter revolutions” overlooks the human agency and systemic conditions that drive movements, thus oversimplifying the complexities of real-world social change. 

How did social media transform the nature of Indigenous-led activism during the #NoDAPL movement, particularly in amplifying Indigenous voices and disrupting dominant narratives? 

Social media transformed #NoDAPL from a local protest into a global movement by amplifying Indigenous voices that had long been marginalized. Nicholet A. Deschine Parkhurst (2021) notes, “social media activism of the #NoDAPL movement extended beyond recognition and consciousness raising to garnering solidarity in virtual and physical spaces” (Deschine Parkhurst, 2021). Through livestreams, posts, and check-ins, Native people and allies created a counter narrative to mainstream media’s erasure or distortion of their struggle. This use of digital platforms allowed for real-time mobilization and education, demonstrating that social media is not just a tool of visibility, but of resistance and Indigenous sovereignty. 

How does the framing of online activism as disruption rather than mere connective action reshape our understanding of Indigenous resistance in the #NoDAPL movement? 

Framing online activism as disruption rather than just connective action foregrounds its political potency in Indigenous resistance. Parkhurst (2021) critiques the reduction of Indigenous digital efforts to apolitical networking, stating, “describing these acts simply as connective actions makes them almost devoid of political significance” (Deschine Parkhurst, 2021). Instead, these digital traces serve as tools of decolonization, challenging settler colonial structures. By disrupting mainstream narratives and state systems - from the courts to the Army Corps of Engineers - #NoDAPL reclaims Indigenous agency and redefines activism as rooted in sovereignty, not settler validation. This framing affirms that digital activism can enact real-world systemic change. 

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Deschine Parkhurst, N. A. (2021). From #Mniwiconi to #StandwithStandingRock. In J. B. Hurlbut & M. L. Gray (Eds.), Connected activism: Indigenous uses of social media for political change. University of Washington Press.

Fuchs, C. (2014). Social media: A critical introduction. SAGE Publications.

Lee, L. A. (2017). Black Twitter: A response to bias in mainstream media. Social Sciences, 6(1), 26. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci6010026