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Abstract

During the civil unrest emphasizing the Black Lives Matter movement amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Instagram was widely adopted by activists, journalists, and the general audience to disseminate and gather information about critical social issues and protests. Through a survey sampling Black Instagram users (N = 402), this study examined how Black people’s use of Instagram and its specific features—Instagram Carousel, Instagram Live, Instagram Story, standard post, and comment section—influenced their Black activism orientation, in-app activism engagement, and Black racial identity ideology. The results indicated that, along with Instagram use, Instagram network politicalness, diversity, and authenticity are also important predictors.

Keywords

Black activism social media Instagram multidimensional model of racial identity Instagram Carousel #BlackLivesMatter racial identity

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Visual Social Media and Black Activism: Exploring How Using Instagram Influences Black Activism Orientation and Racial Identity Ideology Among Black Americans

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Keywords

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