The Role Social Media Plays in Cultural Appropriation …and Exploitation

What Is Black Culture

Due to the accessibility of social media, millions and millions of people have been exposed to Black culture, and some have tried to engage in it as if it is their own. Without knowing, most social media users participate in, or engage with, social media trends developed by Black culture.

Black culture is the music we listen to, the clothes we wear, the language we use, and more. Black culture is shared by Black folx due to the similarities within the experience they have due to being Black in the United States of America. Black culture naturally creates a safe space for Black people to be ... Black.

Black culture is derived from the joy that being Black brings to Black people. It is built on innovation and resilience. It influences different aspects of our personality, looks, fashion, foods, and general identity.

African American Vernacular English (AAVE)

One of the most egregious acts of Black culture appropriation that takes place is the use of African American Vernacular English (AAVE). Along with the appropriation of our vocabulary, some also invoke an accent that has been labeled a “blaccent” in order to seem as if they are Black without dealing with the oppression that Black people face.

So many non-Black people are use either a real or imagined proximity to Black Americans and their culture. This is normally to seem cool, sexy, popular, or threatening. Influencers can make profit off Black culture without having to deal with racism and oppression in the same ways Black people do. There has been a significant increase in the appropriation of Black culture, specifically African American Vernacular English, which has allowed for non-Black people to profit off of a culture that is not their own.

Cultural Exploitation: No Credit & No Profit

One of the most common examples of cultural exploitation is language appropriation. Bhad Bhabie, who first went viral after appearing on a 2016 episode of Dr. Phil, copied this exact same formula to get famous. She spoke in a “blaccent,” used AAVE, wore long press-on nails, and gold bamboo hoop earrings. She claimed she was “from the streets,” but what she really meant was she abusing Black culture for her own gain.

Bhad Bhabie, whose real name is Danielle Bregoli, was able to capitalize on her appearance on Dr. Phil by popularizing her catchphrase, “Cash me ousside, howbow dah?!” Since then, Bregoli has been able to amass over 16.2 million followers on Instagram. She is now 19 years old and has a net worth of $20 million. She also signed a million dollar makeup deal and made $50 million on OnlyFans in one year. She was able to gain so much money, fame, and fortune off of a single moment that went viral where she appropriated Black culture.

Appropriation’s Intersection with Stereotypes

A common scenario on social media is when non-Black people think they’ve found a new phrase, custom, or fashion trend, but Black people point out that it is actually a cultural practice. In the same vain, it has become common place that AAVE terms and sentence structures get falsely attributed to millennials, college students, fandoms, and etc. This is a blatant attempt to try and strip away elements of Black culture and claim it as their own.

When Bregoli said that she was, “from the streets,” it means that she was portraying her interpretation of many urban, working-poor Black people. These are the people who are “from the streets,” as she called it. These are the people that the public have considered to be the sole identity of Black American communities as a whole. These are the stereotypes that fuel cultural appropriation.

Companies & Cultural Exploitation: IS CULTURE UP FOR SALE?

One of the major detriments of social media is how undermonetized it is for people of color. Black creators create engaging content that resonates with their audience and could possibly set the next trends. However, due to the accessibility of this content, when non-Black people take credit for this content and capitalize on it, they are able to make entire careers off of Black culture.

This is not only the fault of social media consumers, but also the fault of these social media companies. Following the murder of George Floyd, TikTok apologized for the censorship and content suppression that Black users faced on the app.

Promoting Appropriation

TikTok’s rise to prominence was significantly helped by Black creatives, whose trends, dances and challenge ideas were repackaged by white creators, boosting those creators to fame and fortune.

Many Black content creators reported their content appearing below similar, white-created content in search results. Additionally, they also said that their videos were getting only a handful of views when based on their following, they'd be expected to receive more attention. Users also said their content, whether it be dance videos or videos addressing racism, were sometimes removed without explanation.

TikTok, as a company, decided to leave Black culture and creators in the dust when they truly have a lot to thank Black culture for. They decided to suppress the people that helped them get to where they are today and help to boost the content that was appropriated. TikTok is proof that even a company can engage in cultural exploitation.

Appropriation of Aesthetics

The aesthetics of Black culture are often appropriated through the act of blackfishing and having a hairstyle rooted in Blackness. However, this also takes place on social media. On TikTok it has become very common for white creators to repackage beauty practices and recipes from marginalized cultures.

This involves high profile White creators renaming something that has roots in BIPOC peoples’ lives and culture and sharing it as a new trend. This is all without acknowledging its history or culture.

#CLEANGIRLAESTHETIC

For example, one of the most recent trends on TikTok is the ‘#CleanGirlAesthetic.’ The “aesthetic” includes a slicked back ponytails and buns, gold jewelry, and a glossy lip. This is part of a trend that has begun to romanticizes and feminizes productivity and self-care. Truth is ... this style has long been a staple for women in Black and Brown communities.

It isn’t an issue when non-Black and non-Brown women are using the ‘clean girl aesthetic.’ The problem is that the aesthetic is being treated like it was created by white women. Before being labeled as the ‘Clean Girl Aesthetic,’ wearing gold hoops, a slick-back bun, and lip gloss was considered ghetto rather than classy like — it is now.

Even in one of the most popular movies ever, Sex and the City, the main character, Carrie Bradshaw, makes multiple jokes about gold jewelry being ghetto.

D’Amelio's Roll In The Dough

Another great example of this is the case of Charlie D’Amelio. D’Amelio is an 18 year-old who blew up on TikTok after doing the “renegade” dance. This dance was created by Jalaiah Harmon to the song ‘Lottery’ by artist K Camp.

Since doing the dance, D’Amelio has received multiple brand deals, her own clothing collaborations, launched a perfume, has a show on Hulu with her family, and won Dancing with the Stars.

On the flip side, Harmon, the creator of the dance, didn’treceive anything until news outlets began to report that she was the creator of the famous dance. It is important to note that Jalaiah is a young Black girl, while D’Amelio is white.

Appropriation vs. Appreciation: WHAT DOES CREDT HAVE TO DO WITH THIS?

The difference between cultural appropriation and appreciation is the credit. Cultural appropriation, and exploitation, has always been prevalent on social media apps since their creation and is rarely taken seriously. Cultural appropriation can feel demeaning because it seems like something sacred or important isn’t cared about.

Throughout history, BIPOC individuals have had their culture taken from them and have been placed into racist systems that don’t allow for them to connect with their culture. As a result, they have had to cultivate their own culture and values to remind them of their ancestry and when that is taken, the impact is damaging to the community. Whether it be on purpose or accidental, cultural appropriation strips someone, and a community, of their identity, history, and struggle.

It is on both the companies and consumers to do their best to stop and avoid cultural appropriation. This can happen when companies work to make sure that cultures are accurately represented. This includes creating space for non-BIPOC individuals to learn from those involved in the culture that these trends originate from.

Ideally, non-BIPOC individuals would engage meaningfully with these marginalized communities regularly to be able to discern when a trend is rooted in a certain culture. This would allow them to recognize language and trends that were created by Black people before using it incorrectly or taking credit for it. Simply put, the way to fix this issue is to give credit and recognize the origin of items that you borrow or promote from other cultures, especially on social media. Google is just a click away.