QCQ for _Blackfishing On Instagram____________________________________________
Quotation (with page number or parag number or time stamp if video/audio)
“Platform-specific accordances can more easily facilitate cultural appropriation and racial commodification online,” (page 2).
Comment (250-500 words)
I found this passage really interesting because it kind of goes against a lot of what we’ve learned up until this point. We haven’t, of course, ignored some of the negative aspects of the online world in this class. It’s no secret that we usually focus on the more positive outcomes that can be achieved through social media, though. Blackfishing is a practice that I, personally, have never heard of, and it seems to only be possible because of social media. This mostly left me wondering if social media has just enhanced blackfishing, or if social media created a whole new form of racism and racial appropriation. Another part of me wonders, though, if this is actually a big deal or not. To clarify, I’m wondering where we draw the line between blackfishing and idolizing others. Is it truly wrong if a white person just values the darker skin tones they can achieve through tanning, making, or whatever. Likewise, is it appropriation if a white woman wears a durag because she thinks it looks good and values the look. I understand that both of these are racially charged aesthetics. Is it wrong, though, in this advancing world? I’m not trying to diminish or talk smack about blackfishing. I’m just wondering where the line is drawn, if it even can be drawn, and if there could be anything positive made from this.
Question
Could blackfishing also be viewed as flattery and imitation? Is there any chance this could be an issue of how society views these media influencers and not how racist/appropriative they are?
