To not get the point of “Blackout Tuesday”?

[SachaStark]

Morning.

Just been on my Instagram, and it appears that a load of the (white) interior and beauty “influencers” I follow are posting an all-black square on their feed, and tagging it as BLM and Blackout Tuesday.

So, essentially, they’re going silent on their social media accounts all day, other than this image, to support the BLM movement.

I really don’t get it. Surely, this is not the time for silence? Surely, as white people with significant platforms, they should be USING their voices to amplify black voices to show solidarity?

AIBU to think that this is a poor show of support by social media influencers?

it's leaving space for more important things and taking time off from posting mindless selfies to educate themselves (thats supposed to be the idea anyway)

I wonder if there is an element of them doing it because others are.
Social media influencers aren’t really known for their intelligence though.

The point of it is supposedly to allow black voices to be amplified on social media. If white people are not posting then more posts from black people will be seen. And in general it raises awareness.

Oh, I completely get that it’s entirely inappropriate to be like, “Hey, look at my Arket haul!” during this time, but why can’t they be using their platform space to say, “Look, go and follow these influencers who are persons of colour!” instead?

Isn't it a more powerful way of getting the message of support for Black rights across if it's already got someone on MN talking about It?

I get the point and think it’s a good one. But it doesn’t work. All you see on your feed is hundreds of black squares: no one else is getting through. If you want to give others space then do just that; don’t post.

I don’t think it’s achieving it’s intended purpose. My Instagram was a sea of black squares this morning. It would be a lot more powerful and impactful if they were dedicating those squares to sharing posts by POC and actually amplifying black voices, instead of (ironically) drowning them out with a load of black squares which don’t say anything

Absolutely agree, @zscaler. Particularly because the Instagram algorithms will already be skewed to favour displaying the posts by these influencers on the Explore page, so the idea that this will allow space for black voices seems disingenuous at worst, and misguided at best.

The point is a good one.

Unfortunately, for many influencers this is just another bandwagon to jump on.

Don’t post the black square. Just don’t post for a day. But they can’t do that. They have to be “seen”.

It’s quite pathetic.

I felt uncomfortable just posting a black tile, chucking in a hashtag then moving on. And I asked myself why. Then I read some posts in here about looting and I listened to my husband on the phone to his parents who were (ignorantly) implying that black people weren't helping themselves by doing this. So I did my research, I read about the power of protesting, I compiled answers and came up with my own thoughts and opinions so that if someone made the same comment to me, I could defend or explain the actions of people protesting. So while a lot of people are virtue signalling, I hope others are using this as a way of educating themselves as I have.

It’s especially hollow when I see the ones who have been called out for racist remarks themselves in the past doing it. Just fuck off.

I think I agree with you, @Sparklingbrook. I keep seeing beauty influencers repost lists of literature to read around the issue, and I feel like saying, “Okay, so now show YOURSELF reading this literature, and start a dialogue with your followers about it!”

Lily Pebbles in particular seems to be one of the denser ones. Announced her blackout last night, by mentioning that she would be turning off her phone and “being a better mum”, since her daughter also has her jabs today 🤦🏼‍♀️ If you’re going to do the blackout, at least make it not be about yourself!

I’ve not seen any post the black square. Just in the last day or so have posted about black out Tuesday and also posted links alongside this to support groups / charities to donate to / petitions etc and resharing black artists / singersongwriters / crafters / etc to go follow. Maybe it’s the type of people you follow? I don’t follow the vain instamummys and beauty youtubers so maybe it’s that?

I don’t see why you have to do a specific post. Maybe just don’t post anything, isn’t that a blackout ?

I absolutely agree, @JohnFinlaysNewTeeth, loads of people I follow on Instagram seem to be genuinely trying to educate themselves and others over the last few days.

I mostly follow writers and Bookstagrammers, and they have largely been doing a brilliant job at pointing out black poets, black reviewers, and own voices literature in their content during the last week. And it feels genuine, you know? Because they’d normally be discussing stuff like this.

I only follow a few style people, no Instamummies, or cleaning accounts or whatever. Some of them have done an okay job, like Use Less from Denmark has made posts admitting her own ignorance, and showing the reading she’s been doing, etc. But I totally agree with the word @Billyjoearmstrong uses, that it seems very “hollow” when other influencers post the black square, and it all seems very surface level, and hopping on the bandwagon. That, and from a bit of light research, it appears that everybody under Gleam management have all been posting almost exactly the same things...

Nothing more than a social media "challenge" to me...

I'm unfollowing all white accounts doing it.

Vanity and virtue signalling all at once.

Means nothing and achieves nothing. It's kind of sickening really.

Also, POC is not the appropriate term to use here. It's BLACK

It’s the same as the NHS clap. They just want attention for being virtuous. If they genuinely gave a shit they’d be promoting activists instead of themselves.

@memememoi not everyone will be comfortable using that term, it’s a bit offensive in some countries.

It wouldn't have taken them much effort to find a black Instagrammer and repost something.

That would have been more helpful. To me as a white person anyway.

Of course, it would be much better to ASK black people what would help..

I think for a lot of them it is virtue signalling and that actively promoting black voices would be a more effective contribution, actually using their platform and privilege to support the BLM movement rather than just “look at me posting a black square for a hashtag”

What on earth does

"Hey, look at my Arket haul"

mean?

And I feel more comfortable using POC. In my social media bubble that's what's used.

Some have posted the black square and actually said something which is better.
I want to know what they think.