Think Before You Post

Picture, if you will, an evening of scrolling away on your favorite social media platform. You come across a discussion thread or any conversation of some sort and your interest is peaked. You decide to read through the comments, much to your dismay because no one should ever read the comments. But here you are, scrolling deeper into the abyss, wondering just exactly how you got to this point. The conversation could be trivial or complex — about social issues or about a memory or something that happened that day. But you’ve noticed something that most unaffected by it do not. You’ve noticed quite a bit of the use of digital blackface. Digital Blackface is an everyday occurrence that is harmful to the black community which leads to the perpetuation of racist tropes and exploitation for profit.

What is digital blackface? Even if you don’t know exactly what the term means, it is likely that you’ve encountered it before or even taken part in the practice of it. Digital blackface takes place when a non-black person uses emojis, gifs or other digital media featuring black people. The intention behind this can come from many different things. Some may somehow still believe that they have some sort of an inner black woman, some may be trying (too hard) to be funny, some may be trying to come across as tougher than they actually are. Some of the most hypocritical use of digital blackface comes from white activists on Tumblr and Facebook. There seems to be an environment that encourages an intellectual hierarchy or a “woke” olympics. These same activists use black people for their educational, emotional, and creative labor, content, and rhetoric and regurgitate it for clout, followers, and to try to differentiate themselves from “other white people”. I’ve seen posts stolen word for word and re-posted on other blogs in an attempt to do just that. Somehow, the irony does not click with white people who claim to believe in Black Lives Matter but participate in digital blackface and the butchering of African American Vernacular English (AAVE). Somehow, it does not click with these people that they are in fact white and exhibiting similar typical behaviors of the very same people that they are trying to set themselves apart from. It is very much so an example of subtle, everyday racism.

Digital spaces facilitate and even encourage the use of blackface because it is another extension of reality in terms of racism. Pre-existing ideas already transfer over onto the internet so it’s not surprising that anti-blackness would too. Anti-blackness is a worldwide issue so of course the treatment and ideas about black people will sadly be one of the aspects of society that would also transcend into the digital world.

There have also been very clear examples of larger corporations using digital blackface to seem relatable and humorous to gain popularity and thus boost profits. From Wendy’s to IHOP to Forever 21, there are numerous examples of using black images and phrases to advertise their products. It seems as though everyone is profiting from blackness except actual black people. For example, a young, black woman named Kayla Newman is the originator of the phrase “On Fleek” which first surfaced in a vine of hers. Though we have heard this in many songs, seen it in many advertisements, and seen it marketed on clothing, Newman has not been compensated by any means for her creation. In fact, many are unaware of the origins of on fleek just as non-black people are usually vastly unaware of the origins of many black gifs, phrases, and images that they parrot in an attempt to be funny. I cannot count how many non-black people I’ve encountered that have said “Bye Felicia” but cannot tell me where this phrase comes from when questioned, though the source is an overwhelming popular example of black comedy and entertainment. Other notable examples include deez nuts, slay, shade, and so many more.

I believe that the nature of online communication makes people feel comfortable enough to participate in a way they wouldn’t in real life. Sometimes there is a sense of anonymity and untouchability on the internet. It’s easier to harass and say ignorant things when a person is behind a screen than in another person’s face. They lack of a physical environment makes people feel more comfortable to say and do things they wouldn’t normally do in real life. Also social media platforms don’t regulate or address harassment or bigotry. Some even support it (YouTube has quite a hand in circulating white supremacist videos and channels while blocking videos with any LGBTQ mention). This new environment leads to little to no consequences for users who take part in racist acts or beliefs.

Blackface is another form or subset under racism. Racism is like a tree where it has different manifestations that branch into different categories. At the end of the day, it’s still racism. Blackface is just a part of the subtle racism that happens everyday that every non-black person participant in. I think it’s harder for people to recognize it since it is already seen as something to consume, a piece of media solely used for communicating online but its harder to step back and have awareness of why there is the urge to use black faces to convey a dramatic response or message than to claim “Oh, this is just how I would respond!” when realistically that is not the case. That’s the joke of it, that a non-black person wouldn’t normally respond or talk in AAVE- its a dramatic and/or comedic take.

The most blatant example of racism that comes with digital blackface is the descriptions and tags used to find most gifs in question. These can include things from “angry black woman” to “sassy black woman” and many others that follow this same rhetoric. Looking closer at common forms of digital blackface, it is no coincidence that those most often used in digital blackface are black women and femmes for who is the most disrespected and disadvantaged of black people? When we consider the fact that black women are impersonated by every other demographic in an attempt to be seen as funny or edgy, we get closer to the core of the problem that arises in digital blackface. We can laugh at these people, but not take them seriously because we are not them. We can use them as a selling point, a commodity, a punchline but we will not address issues that affect them on a institutional, societal, nor global level.

For those who say, “What about whiteface? I think you can say the same issues about black people to white people!” I offer you to look at the world you live in and the privileges you hold in it. In order for whiteface to be a legitimate issue, white people would have to experience centuries of racial trauma including: mass abductions, slavery for more than 200 years (estimation of 246 years), sharecropping, jim crow laws, minstrel shows, bombing and lynchings, red-lining, police brutality, workplace discrimination, school-to-prison pipeline and so so much more. In order for whiteface to be a serious problem, there would need to historic oppression of white people. White people would have to be systematically oppressed and seen as less than human. The society you live in would have to see you as a commodity. And with an addition to all of that, white people need to realize who dominates media representation in America: white people. If the majority of film, art, music, theater, television and etc are representing white people then of course people of color would have to use white people for gifs and more. It’s not like people of color have that many options to pick from.

For those that would like to say, “This GIF or image is just funny and relatable! Why can’t I use it?” — I want you to think about why it is funny to you. Why is it so funny to use a gif of a black woman rolling her eyes or neck, being “sassy”, or being overall angry or agitated? When a non-black person uses AAVE or fails to do the latest dance coming straight from black people, it is funny to you because you’re not black. What actually exists in that moment is you impersonating someone else and making fun of said thing. There is and always will be a major degree of separation between the non-black user and blackness. You are able to use blackness for your own selfish gain whatever it may be and then strip it off moments later and continue about your life without any of the consequences of actually existing while black. There are also plenty of examples of gifs with non-black people conveying similar, if not the same, kind of emotion trying to be displayed by the poster. It simply is not that hard to avoid using blackness as a novelty. While some believe digital blackface is too harsh of a title or a trivial matter, it should be questioned that black people are seen as such a consumable commodity for everyone else as this stems directly from a global anti-blackness that is paraded as a lazy and thoughtless “appreciation”. It is in this sense that imitation is not and never will be the greatest form of flattery.