Indigenous Digital Life: The Practice and Politics of Being Indigenous on Social Media

Settler societies often portray Indigenous people as "a people of the past," erasing their active engagement in future-oriented practices through new technologies. Indigenous Digital Life explores how social media has become embedded in the lives of Indigenous Australians, showcasing their powerful actions, production, and creativity. It presents a narrative that emphasizes Indigenous people as active agents shaping their immediate worlds and working towards building better relations, communities, and futures.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 259 pages
Publication date: 06 October 2022
Publisher: Springer Nature Switzerland AG

Settler societies often portray Indigenous people as living in the past, with their cultures frozen in time, their identities tied to rigid notions of authenticity, and their communities perceived as in decline. However, this narrative overlooks the numerous ways in which Indigenous people actively engage in future-oriented practices, particularly through the use of new technologies.

Indigenous Digital Life provides a comprehensive and multifaceted exploration of how social media has become deeply intertwined in the lives of Indigenous Australians. Focusing on ten central themes, including identity, community, hate, desire, and death, the book aims to understand the practices and broader politics of being Indigenous on social media. Rather than perpetuating settler narratives of Indigenous 'deficiency, the book approaches Indigenous social media as a space of Indigenous action, production, and creativity. It recognizes Indigenous social media users as powerful agents who interact with and shape their immediate worlds with skill, flair, and ingenuity. Instead of being considered a people of the past, the book demonstrates that Indigenous digital life is often future-oriented, working towards building better relations, communities, and worlds.

This book offers fresh ideas, insights, and provocations for students and scholars of Indigenous studies, media and communication studies, and cultural studies. It challenges prevailing narratives and provides a more nuanced understanding of the complex and diverse ways in which Indigenous people navigate and contribute to the digital realm. By highlighting the active engagement of Indigenous people in shaping the future through social media, this book contributes to the ongoing dialogue about the representation, rights, and well-being of Indigenous communities in the modern world.

Weight: 364g
Dimension: 210 x 148 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783030847982
Edition number: 1st ed. 2021