Black Culture's Influence on Social Media

Introduction

It is no secret that Black culture is heavily infused into social media. From GIFs to vernacular, Black culture is the backbone for every new trend, challenge, and reaction. However, many Black people are tired of carrying the weight of being social media influencers while not receiving the monetary or sponsorship compensation they deserve (Rosenblatt, 2021). As a result, black contributions to American culture continuously lack recognition or praise, and for years, the cycle has only continued with social media. This report will highlight Black influence on social media, reactions to Black content creators, and its relation to the hegemony theory by breaking the cycle of appropriation.

The Hegemony Theory

Alternative Paradigms developed as a counter to traditional communication science theories, such as agenda-setting and uses and gratification. Instead of following old methods, alternative paradigms emphasize reform by "giving voice to oppressed groups within society" (Rosenberry & Vicker, 2017, p. 116). In turn, this developed into critical and cultural research. The goals of critical and cultural research depend on whether the research follows a positivist or interpretive approach. Positivists believe knowledge can only derive from real-world observations, while interpretivists understand that human behavior is too complex to be the single source of truth (Rosenberry & Vicker, 2017). The difference in beliefs between positivist and interpretive methods resulted in a critical and cultural paradigm.

As research methods continued to develop, researchers focused on qualitative data rather than quantitative data and created the hegemony theory. The hegemony theory explains how everyone in a specific society concedes to the dominant ideology, even those who are adversely affected by it (Rosenberry & Vicker, 2017). An example of this can be seen in the heavy influence of Black culture in all forms of media, specifically social media. Even when the acceptance of Black culture in society negatively affects the Black community, we continue to see Black people continue to partake and participate in the ideology.

Black Culture's Influence on Social Media

Black culture has been the backbone of societal progression in America for hundreds of years. Without Black creators, we would not have any of the popular music, slang, popular dance moves, TV shows, movies, or defining fashion trends ingrained in our society. In the age of social media, Black content creation has become more prominent than ever before, and it is evident in the high follower counts and viral videos. For example, when Vine was popular, King Bach "had over 16 million followers" (Hayes, 2020, Isaac Hayes) and created viral videos on various apps. Today, we have plenty of Black content creators with millions of followers and viral videos on TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. Some famous names include Tabitha Brown, Caleb Glass, D'Angelo Wallace, and Drea Okeke.

Though Black content creators work hard to share their thoughts and creativity with the world, it is often without recognition or monetary compensation compared to other content creators. For example, the dance Renegade was created by Jalaiah Harmon and gained traction after she posted the video on Instagram. However, the video went viral after popular YouTuber Charli D'Amelio recreated the dance, thus removing creative credit from Jalaiah (Zukin, 2020). Finally, after uproar and outcry, Jalaiah received recognition and creative rights to the dance but was not able to celebrate her success alone. In many public appearances, Jalaiah was seen doing the Renegade dance with Charli instead of by herself. This response seemed unfair to me because Charli did not create the dance, but still receives recognition for its success.

Black culture is also seen in memes and other funny content. For example, the widely-used GIF keyboard, GIPHY, features a multitude of black memes that are used as reactions on social media and in text messages. In the Black community, we take pride in "turning our sadness into things that make us shine and glow" (Paige, 2020, Chalk) while our trauma is constantly on display. This goes hand-in-hand with the common, trendy language used on social media that is claimed by Gen Z, but derives from African American Vernacular English (AAVE).

AAVE, also known as Ebonics, is an English dialect developed by enslaved Africans brought to America (Thompson, 2021). In recent history, Black people were bullied and chastised for using Ebonics and broken English, but now, AAVE has become socially acceptable as cultural terms have grown in popularity. An example of its popularity is seen in a recent episode of SNL, hosted by Elon Musk. The episode featured a skit titled Gen Z Hospital and included AAVE disguised as a language created by younger generations. The skit writer was criticized for mocking AAVE, which brought more awareness to the issue but did not solve the greater issue at hand.

The issue is the blatant disregard and disrespect toward Black content creators and the Black community. Our culture is continuously appropriated and recreated by other people who receive credit, sponsorships, and praise for our contributions, and social media does not help. More often than not, social media algorithms block terms and hashtags relating to Black topics. In 2019, the Black Lives Matter hashtag was considered hate speech on TikTok (Preston, 2021). Black influencers are often paid less and receive fewer brand deals than white influencers. Credit is not given to Black creators for their creations. How can this issue be resolved?

Conclusion

Black culture has become American culture, thus losing its essence and origin. Black influencers have proven that "the internet and social media can both oppress and empower marginalized groups" (Thompson, 2021, Buzzfeed News). This is where the issue and the hegemony theory come together. As the line between Black culture and American culture continues to blur, the fear of forgetting the roots and purpose of Black culture increases. However, Black content creators are slowly gaining more recognition for their contribution to society. People are speaking up about the Black community's issues, and their voices are finally being heard. Closing the knowledge gap between stereotypical and actual Black culture is the key to resolve.

Our entire society must continue to highlight the contributions of Black content creators while speaking against those who consciously or unconsciously try to erase Black culture. The system is biased, and racism will not end overnight, but social media is a key player in educating the masses and appropriately appreciating Black culture.

References

Hayes, I. (2020, Oct 20). How black content creators and consumers drive social media culture. Isaac Hayes.

Paige, D. (2020, Feb 27). Black memes matter: How black people drive social media culture. Chalk.

Preston, A. (2021, Aug 9). Taking on tech: Social media’s anti-blackness and algorithmic aggression in the absence of accountability. Forbes.

Rosenberry, J. & Vicker, L. (2017). Applied mass communication theory: A guide to media practitioners. Routledge Taylor and Francis Group.

Rosenblatt, K. (2021, Feb 9). Months after tiktok apologized to black creators, many say little has changed. NBC News.

Thompson, S. (2021, Sept 7). So much modern slang is AAVE. Here’s how language appropriation erases the influence of black culture. Buzzfeed News.

Zukin, M. (2020, Aug 5). A joint interview with 14-year-old Jalaiah Harmon, who invented the most famous dance on tiktok, and her mom. Variety.