Micro-Influencers, MicroAggressions, and Regular People
Racism (structural, interpersonal, etc) exists and now we can’t ignore it, but how do we handle our online presence? Brands, influencers, and regular people have all selfishly wondered when “all this” will end, and when “we can go back to normal”. While I uncover the answer to this question I’d like to remind all readers of my disclaimer, and that these perspectives come from living a life or fairly high privilege as a brown facing Mexican-American, my experience in marketing, and my college education as well as some other sources I’ll site herein. This article will cover three topics:
Is posting “normal” content online racist?
How can influencers and brands both white and of color use their feed/content when facing racism?
How to handle losing followers/supporters over race based posts/content.
Monsters (2020)
Digital Collage by Jose-Noel Rocha
Is posting “normal” content online racist?
The answer is likely yes - depending on how you categorize the term “normal”, and also relative to your position of privilege and power as compared to people who are suffering. Let’s start with a simple example.
Trauma, drama, and benefits:
If you needed medical attention for a fatal wound, and I was trying to flag down your paramedics to show them my bandage collection - you’d likely think I’m a jerk. Would you wonder why I thought this was relevant in that particular moment? Let’s say I witnessed the accident - would you wonder why I’m not trying to provide the medics with pertinent information? Also - if I’m showing the medics my bandage collection, would you wonder why I didn’t offer you one?
Let’s break down this example, if you’re injured and I’m not we can call that a position of privilege. I have the privilege of not knowing your pain, or not being exposed to the danger of being cut, and I also have bandages in this example. You’ve suffered a trauma that’s quite clear, you’ve asked for medical assistance (that I didn’t call, other people who understood the severity of your pain heard you scream and had to call), and you’re in the process of trying to receive medical assistance now that at least someone’s arrived to listen and try to help (the medic). The least I could do as a friend in this example is either try to get out of the way, try to provide helpful information, or try to make sure you the wounded is calm and feels secure.
Connecting this to the digital-sociological spectrum while facing contemporary issues of race, it’s clear that self promotion isn’t being a good friend or ally. Particularly if you’re part of the system that makes it harder to receive help, and are one of the biggest beneficiaries socially (white or white presenting) - this type of behavior is even more dismissive of the plight that the Black/BIPOC community face.
The idea of “Normal” presupposes that time and society are fixed points.
“Normal” based on my sociological perception is a relative term that represents a controlled environment, social element, or stimuli that is non-invasive and elicits no negative emotional or physical response. People seeking a return normalcy are seeking a return to a comfortable and unchallenging position - thus furthering the dismissal of those with limited choices to deflect external stimuli causing negative emotional or physical effects and trauma. If you still don’t care, and don’t want to hear it, make your profile private, and don’t take up space on an algorithm that should be acknowledging more BIPOC people.
So with this knowledge we know how we can at least be better friends to people of color - but what do we do as a brand, or as an influencer that uses our lifestyle and content to reach new customers?
Let’s find out.
Snakes (2020)
Literary Artwork - Logotype - Jose-Noel Rocha
How to tackle issues of race in your digital content and marketing as a brand or influencer:
No one wants to be insensitive (hopefully) - but I always say: people hurt other people because they can’t handle their own emotional baggage. So let’s try it to understand what it is that’s happening:
People who have been historically disenfranchised, abused, and denied avenues to success are fighting for change.
Brands/Influencers don’t know how to deal with this because they:
Don’t understand how to support the BIPOC community or don’t want to.
They need/want new customers and aren’t prepared to create this kind of content rapidly.
They’ve lost followers, engagement, or capital due to their support of the #Blacklivesmatter movement and the BIPOC community.
After a week of posting content about racial inclusivity - some influencers and brands no longer feel the topic is relevant or important enough to continue to focus on or never focused on it to begin with.
There’s no doubt to me that using your digitally social platform for posting anti-racist content will cost you followers and engagement. I myself went from a reach of over 20K to just over 200 after beginning to consistently post anti-racist content in 2018. It’s not easy I know, but it’s harder living in a world where you’re faced with racism everyday. But what are you supposed to do as a brand or influencer during this time? That’s a twofold answer.
For People of Color
Don’t worry, you don’t have to prove you’re anti-racist. Obviously if these issues and this content is relevant for you, you’ll want to repost or post anti-racist comments. Speak up, speak proud, and share your BIPOC Excellence and individuality - your voice deserves more recognition. Brands that are owned and operated by people of color should do the same, showcasing your unique talents and standing up for your beliefs.
For white people, or brands with white leadership:
Now is the time to hold yourself accountable, and make commitments to stretch out of your comfort zone. When creating and posting digital content online I recommend the following advisements:
Refrain from posting and content that is self promotional, or promoting white or predominantly white led brands.
Reach out to other creators in your niche or organization that are people of color to see how you can use your influence or brand to highlight their talents.
If you’re losing community engagement, look for ways to expand your community and reach out to groups, organizations, or influencers of color - make the effort to engage actively - don’t try to exploit BIPOC people. Comment and repost to show your support and help them against the algorithm.
Slowly and systematically look at your feed/content/digital assets and ask yourself if you need to develop more inclusivity within these assets - remove anything insensitive and own up to your mistakes. When deciding to actively promote your internal inclusivity - highlight the individuality of people of color - not their skin color itself.
Finally - how to deal with losing followers, engagement, or even relationships because of racism:
Do you really want racist customers or racist friends? I honestly would hope not. But also, I know it’s hard to deal with the disapproval of people who want to maintain the current system - but I encourage you to power through. So many people are beginning to fear the repercussions of both their racism and anti-racism, and we all know social media can affect your mental health. But if you’re a dark presenting BIPOC, you know the struggle of perseverance, to those of you that aren’t, and are just now dealing with the fallout of racism. I encourage you to unearth your emotions and work through them, pulling from the strength of the BIPOC community and centuries of resilience.
Ask yourself: Why am I self-promoting? Why don’t I want to speak out more for people of color? Why am I so afraid of losing digital currency? You may be experiencing minor emotional stress or even trauma (depending on your definition) so don’t forget to understand how we do that as well. The video below shows a fairly good explanation:
In Summary:
We all go through stress, and we all have a hard time confronting racism and bias within ourselves and our society. It’s okay to find yourself in a precarious situation, and finding yourself in distress with the challenges of the world. I know that the world can and has been horrific and uncomfortable - but these are the birth pangs of a world where people are more conscious of how to help and support others. I encourage you all to set the standard of that movement, don’t trail behind.
Thank you