Bridging Action Frames: Instagram Infographics in U.S.Ethnic Movements

TL;DR

This paper explores how Instagram infographics serve as a hybrid tool that combines elements of traditional collective activism and modern connective online activism within U.S. ethnic movements, especially Black Lives Matter.

Contribution

It demonstrates that Instagram infographics facilitate both collective and connective action, bridging traditional and digital activism through three key mechanisms.

Findings

Infographics reduce information dissemination friction.

Activists use features to combat misinformation and build trust.

Instagram activism complements on-the-ground efforts for transformative change.

Abstract

Instagram infographics are a digital activism tool that have redefined action frames for technology-facilitated social movements. From the 1960s through the 1980s, United States ethnic movements practiced collective action: ideologically unified, resource-intensive traditional activism. Today, technologically enabled movements have been categorized as practicing connective action: individualized, low-resource online activism. Yet, we argue that Instagram infographics are both connective and collective. This paper juxtaposes the insights of past and present U.S. ethnic movement activists and analyzes Black Lives Matter Instagram data over the course of 7 years (2014-2020). We find that Instagram infographic activism bridges connective and collective action in three ways: (1) Scope for Education: Visually enticing and digestible infographics reduce the friction of information dissemination, facilitating collective movement education while preserving customizability. (2) Reconciliation for Credibility: Activists use connective features to combat infographic misinformation and resolve internal differences, creating a trusted collective movement front. (3) High-Resource Efforts for Transformative Change: Instagram infographic activism has been paired with boots on the ground and action-oriented content, curating a connective-to-collective pipeline that expends movement resources. Our work unveils the vitality of evaluating digital activism action frames at the movement integration level, exemplifies the powerful coexistence of connective and collective action, and offers meaningful design implications for activists seeking to leverage this novel tool.