How Black Americans Have Influenced + Shaped Social Media Platforms
It’s officially Black History Month, a time dedicated to honoring the many past and present accomplishments of Black Americans! It’s no secret that the black community has had an undeniable impact on social media platforms and the conversations and trends taking place within them. Read on for a few specific ways the Black community has influenced and shaped social media as we know it today!
POP CULTURE + TRENDS
We can’t talk about how Black Americans have influenced social media without highlighting their impact on pop culture because the two often go hand-in-hand. Some of the most notable contributions of the black community to pop culture revolve around music, fashion, and dance; however, take a moment to consider how often some of the most popular trends or memes highlight Black culture or the reactions of Black people in some way or another.
The Black community has especially proven to drive social media culture on Twitter, where they carry a large portion of the conversation. Commonly referred to as “Black Twitter,” the platform’s content is largely filled with cultural humor, entertainment, news, and trends. It is not only a way to highlight the lifestyle of the Black community but also the concerns they face. More on that in the next section.
AMPLIFICATION OF SOCIAL ISSUES
Unless you lived under a rock in 2020, you’d know that one of the ways the Black community has been the most influential on social platforms is through the amplification of under-discussed social issues. A recent study conducted by the Pew Research Center finds that Black Americans consider social media platforms to be “personally important to them for purposes of finding others who share their views, getting involved with issues that are important to them and expressing their political opinions.”
A prime example of this can be seen with the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter. The hashtag was created to raise awareness of the racial injustices that remain prevalent in our nation today. Well over 26 million posts have utilized the hashtag on Instagram, which has inspired additional hashtag movements advocating for social change to begin as well.
A FEW OF OUR FAVORITE BLACK CREATORS TO FOLLOW
We hope this blog post was only the beginning of you taking some time this month to further educate yourself on the great accomplishments and culture of the Black community. This blog post only scratched the surface and, just like you, we too always have so much more to learn on how to support #BlackLivesMatter on social media.
xx- The Homies