Interview with Dr Jolynna Sinanan – Research Fellow in Digital Media and Ethnography – on the social media action: Blackout Tuesday
Amidst the rage, turmoil and political action in U.S. streets over the past few months – in response to the killing of George Floyd – the 46-year-old black man who died on May 25 after being restrained face-down by police in the U.S. city of Minneapolis – the social media activist campaign Blackout Tuesday emerged.
Blackout Tuesday happened on Tuesday the second of June 2020 – and was a global reaction against racism and police brutality – initiated by members of the music industry.
Back on that day – you may have seen your Instagram feed hijacked by a stream of posts – showing simple images of a black square. These posts – often hash-tagged Blackout Tuesday – were a gesture of solidarity – with the Black Lives Matter movement.
I spoke with Dr Jolynna Sinanan – who is a Research Fellow in Digital Media and Ethnography at the University of Sydney.
Her article “Blackout Tuesday: the black square is a symbol of online activism for non-activists” was published in the Conversation recently.