Theory Blog Post #3
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As I continue to conceptualize research projects that both engages my interests and can help solve social issues, I recently found myself undertaking a project in one of my doctoral courses that analyze Black Twitter and the discourse and mediation among its users when it comes to calling out hegemonic social systems, injustices, organizing protests, surveillance, highlighting invisible stories, and being a pillar to the Black community and other minoritized identities. In this blog post, I would like to expand on Dana Cloud’s notion of the Big Five (narrative, myth, embodiment, affect, and spectacle) while implying Black Twitter as a complex public by incorporating concepts from class and reading material.
Specifically, Cloud’s idea of #BlackLivesMatter movement being considered as the Thomas Paine of our time, I found it quite interesting because it allows many people who have some type of access to social media or a platform to be considered a public intellectual which challenges (in a way) Gramsci’s idea of “organic” intellectual. However, Cloud continues to demonstrate how the #BlackLivesMatter movement is relevant, timely, crafted, and strategic which is accessible to many and its unique usage of language and appeal meet people where they are in similar ways as Thomas Paine’s Common Sense did which ultimately led Cloud to the point that they were and are: the exact right voices and the exact right time. With Cloud’s emphasis of Twitter being a modality of mediation for the #BlackLivesMatter movement, I would like to expand on this and imply Black Twitter as a public that easily employs Cloud’s Big Five.
Twitter, itself, is an agent that allows for its users to have a space to continue the narrative or counter-narrative stories that are in mainstream media. For example, much of Black Twitter discourse consists of creating a timeline of events around certain issues (Jelani Day, Kelly Price, etc.) that may not be discussed elsewhere unless the ones who are affected brings it into light which makes marginalized groups do their own detective work on injustices. Next, Black Twitter dialogue is full of affect regarding action on many racist and hegemonic ideologies and social systems that continue to keep minorities in an oppressive state. Black Twitter tweets often consists of petitioning certain laws, demanding equal pay and housing, protesting injustices, and much more that continues to show its relevance and responsibility as a public. Lastly, I would like to explain Black Twitter as a spectacle. Black Twitter has opened the door to many conversations and spaces that create new meaning of old ideological norms that attempts to permeate society. In chapter nine of Brouwer’s Public Modalities, the notion of “camp” and belonging to certain groups in which you laugh at yourself to feel connection and again I thought of Black Twitter. Black Twitter does this in many ways to help show one another that they are not the only one who has experienced this situation. Furthermore, Black Twitter generate this existence of a singular Black experience which could be also seen as an exact right voice at the exact right time.
Another point to note is Cloud’s emphasis on activism and having progressive voices that are pushed out of the comfort zone. Black Twitter (and Twitter in general) permits voices from all backgrounds, ages, races, genders, ethnicities, socio economic statuses, religion, etc, to be heard on a platform that is accessible to many and typically has a clear and precise message. However, Black Twitter appeals to certain audiences (usually those who associate themselves as a marginalized/underrepresented group) and the issues that are discussed are generally aimed at others who support the hegemonic and racist oppressive ideologies. But the Twitter platform authorize these issues that are in the form of “tweets” to reach millions of people in a matter of seconds! How isn’t Black Twitter a public sphere at this point? Nonetheless, these minute voices who were once not allowed to speak or dare engage in such topics are becoming the progressive voices in social media activism.
I would also like to point to the fact that Black Twitter itself can be seen as a progressive voice for a unified body. Not saying that Black Twitter users agree on every topic or issue but the overall gist remain the same: a space that allows the Black community to come together and support one another through discourse. In today’s society, much of social interaction is online and after the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of activism after the killing of Breonna Taylor, Ahmad Arbery, and George Floyd, was conducted online through Instagram and Twitter blackouts, virtual symposiums, posts, and hashtags that counter the narrative of mainstream media assumptions and stories of these victims who lost their lives to police brutality and white supremacy. Nonetheless, Black Twitter is a cyberspace that continues to bring light to injustices and organize activism within the Black community while also being a “playground” for others to use humor and connectedness as a way of survival in an inchmeal progressive America. So, again, Black Twitter can easily be identified as a public and even a counter-public that challenges the racist, hegemonic ideological views of Black lives and other marginalized groups. Theory matters because the pursuit of explaining something, identifying a problem, and figuring out how to bring about change continually give us a glimpse of hope that maybe, just maybe, there could be another side to all of this.
Specifically, Cloud’s idea of #BlackLivesMatter movement being considered as the Thomas Paine of our time, I found it quite interesting because it allows many people who have some type of access to social media or a platform to be considered a public intellectual which challenges (in a way) Gramsci’s idea of “organic” intellectual. However, Cloud continues to demonstrate how the #BlackLivesMatter movement is relevant, timely, crafted, and strategic which is accessible to many and its unique usage of language and appeal meet people where they are in similar ways as Thomas Paine’s Common Sense did which ultimately led Cloud to the point that they were and are: the exact right voices and the exact right time. With Cloud’s emphasis of Twitter being a modality of mediation for the #BlackLivesMatter movement, I would like to expand on this and imply Black Twitter as a public that easily employs Cloud’s Big Five.
Twitter, itself, is an agent that allows for its users to have a space to continue the narrative or counter-narrative stories that are in mainstream media. For example, much of Black Twitter discourse consists of creating a timeline of events around certain issues (Jelani Day, Kelly Price, etc.) that may not be discussed elsewhere unless the ones who are affected brings it into light which makes marginalized groups do their own detective work on injustices. Next, Black Twitter dialogue is full of affect regarding action on many racist and hegemonic ideologies and social systems that continue to keep minorities in an oppressive state. Black Twitter tweets often consists of petitioning certain laws, demanding equal pay and housing, protesting injustices, and much more that continues to show its relevance and responsibility as a public. Lastly, I would like to explain Black Twitter as a spectacle. Black Twitter has opened the door to many conversations and spaces that create new meaning of old ideological norms that attempts to permeate society. In chapter nine of Brouwer’s Public Modalities, the notion of “camp” and belonging to certain groups in which you laugh at yourself to feel connection and again I thought of Black Twitter. Black Twitter does this in many ways to help show one another that they are not the only one who has experienced this situation. Furthermore, Black Twitter generate this existence of a singular Black experience which could be also seen as an exact right voice at the exact right time.
Another point to note is Cloud’s emphasis on activism and having progressive voices that are pushed out of the comfort zone. Black Twitter (and Twitter in general) permits voices from all backgrounds, ages, races, genders, ethnicities, socio economic statuses, religion, etc, to be heard on a platform that is accessible to many and typically has a clear and precise message. However, Black Twitter appeals to certain audiences (usually those who associate themselves as a marginalized/underrepresented group) and the issues that are discussed are generally aimed at others who support the hegemonic and racist oppressive ideologies. But the Twitter platform authorize these issues that are in the form of “tweets” to reach millions of people in a matter of seconds! How isn’t Black Twitter a public sphere at this point? Nonetheless, these minute voices who were once not allowed to speak or dare engage in such topics are becoming the progressive voices in social media activism.
I would also like to point to the fact that Black Twitter itself can be seen as a progressive voice for a unified body. Not saying that Black Twitter users agree on every topic or issue but the overall gist remain the same: a space that allows the Black community to come together and support one another through discourse. In today’s society, much of social interaction is online and after the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of activism after the killing of Breonna Taylor, Ahmad Arbery, and George Floyd, was conducted online through Instagram and Twitter blackouts, virtual symposiums, posts, and hashtags that counter the narrative of mainstream media assumptions and stories of these victims who lost their lives to police brutality and white supremacy. Nonetheless, Black Twitter is a cyberspace that continues to bring light to injustices and organize activism within the Black community while also being a “playground” for others to use humor and connectedness as a way of survival in an inchmeal progressive America. So, again, Black Twitter can easily be identified as a public and even a counter-public that challenges the racist, hegemonic ideological views of Black lives and other marginalized groups. Theory matters because the pursuit of explaining something, identifying a problem, and figuring out how to bring about change continually give us a glimpse of hope that maybe, just maybe, there could be another side to all of this.
Works Cited
Cloud, Dana. Reality Bites: Rhetoric and the Circulations of Truth Claims in U.S. Political Culture. Ohio State University Press, 2018.
Cloud, Dana. Reality Bites: Rhetoric and the Circulations of Truth Claims in U.S. Political Culture. Ohio State University Press, 2018.