How Facebook and Instagram Empower Diaspora and Indigenous Communities in Australia

Thesis Statement: The use of Facebook and Instagram by indigenous and migrant Hellenic diaspora communities in Australia creates an online third place, fostering community building, cultural awareness, and commercial outcomes.

ABSTRACT: Communities of Indigenous people and migrants from the Hellenic diaspora in Australia utilise Facebook and Instagram as tools to establish an online third place. The utilisation of these platforms fosters a sense of community, raises cultural awareness, and provides a catalyst for business outcomes. Drawing on numerous studies that examine the issues of race and ethnicity in Australia and their impact on these communities, examining the relationships between the two cultures exposes the constant but frequently unnoticed connections between ethnic-settlers and Indigenous people. The study's findings show that Facebook and Instagram have developed into crucial tools for Indigenous and immigrant Hellenic diaspora communities in Australia to preserve and strengthen their sense of community and connection as online third places and how they enable community members to share their cultural heritage, stories, and experiences.

Social media has become an integral part of our lives, connecting people from all over the world. For the Indigenous and migrant Hellenic diaspora communities living in Australia, Facebook and Instagram have emerged as powerful tools to connect with their culture, collaborate, and create a sense of place. In this paper, I will explore linkages between the two cultures and argue the use of Facebook and Instagram by Indigenous and migrant Hellenic diaspora communities in Australia creates an online third place, fostering community building, cultural awareness, and commercial outcomes.

Linkage between Indigenous and migrant Hellenic diaspora communities in Australia is discussed by Pallotta-Chiarolli, M., & Ricatti, F. (2022) arguing the importance of uncovering, recovering, and reclaiming the history of Mediterranean migrants’ transcultural relationships with First Nations people. Examining the complex, ambiguous, and often contradictory relationship between a Greek family and an Aboriginal community highlights the ever present, yet often invisible, connections between ethnic-settler-colonisers and Indigenous people.

In a separate study Pallotta-Chiarolli, M. (2019) research how and by whom the term 'Wogarigine' or 'Indigiwogs' was used. There is an exploration researching three core elements through stories, discussions, and personal materials of both Aboriginal Torres Strait Islanders and Southern European (Greek, Italian, Maltese, Portuguese and Spanish) migrant heritages. Firstly, the research asked what life was like for 'Wogarigines' growing up in their families, communities, schools, workplaces, churches and in the wider Australian society, and what it is like today. Secondly, how Aboriginal Torres Strait Islanders perceive, understand, resist, or connect with Southern European migrants on national, community, familial and interpersonal levels. Thirdly what role migrants play in influencing and condoning, as well as questioning and confronting, racist and colonialist ideologies on national, community, familial and interpersonal levels?

Similarly, the biography of Alick Jackomos, Broome, R. & Manning, C. (2006), delves into the issues of race and ethnicity, which were central to Alick's childhood. His parents were Greek migrants, and the family ran a fish and chip shop, which had an Australian touch to it. However, Alick experienced Anglo-Australian racism and race-hate as a boy, which impacted his ethical philosophy that he developed during the Great Depression.

Alick, as Broome, R. & Manning, C. (2006), describes, had an early contact and growing friendships with Aboriginal youths, and perhaps, he sensed in them a more profound connection with the country and a more benign way of being Australian. Or, perhaps, Aboriginal people may have been the best exemplars of his core values of accepting other people, caring and sharing. Delving into the connection and stories of past experiences of our first nations people and Greek migrant families living in Australia paves the way for further exploration of the use of online third places to foster the growth of these communities.

Facebook and Instagram have emerged as popular online third places for Indigenous and migrant Hellenic diaspora communities in Australia. As it stands an online third place, like these social media networks, is a virtual space where people can gather, share their experiences, and interact with each other in a meaningful way.

Mainstream social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram allow community members to share their cultural heritage, stories, and experiences with a larger, like-minded audience. A study conducted by Fredericks, B., Bradfield, A., & Ansell, S. (2021) found that Indigenous use of social media and several Indigenous-led online campaigns, demonstrate how online platforms are bringing an array of social issues to light in ways that privilege Indigenous voices and perspectives, ultimately disrupting and shifting oppressive colonial algorithms.

A recent study by Kennedy, T. (2021) adds to the data finding that 73% of respondents said they used social media to express their Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander identities. The focus of my identity in society and online, as one survey respondent put it, is my Aboriginality. Particularly on Facebook, all my friends, pages, groups, and images showcase my Aboriginality.

Similarly, while the opinions of locals are frequently used by mainstream media to frame media material, rarely do they represent the interests of indigenous or diasporic communities. Social media's development has helped to maintain the existence of online diasporic networks. (Mpofu, P., Asak, M. O., & Salawu, A. 2022). Several Facebook and Instagram accounts created by the migrant Hellenic diaspora in Australia showcase their cultural heritage through food, music, dance, art and humour through relatable memes and short videos like Reels.

Indigenous people and migrant Hellenic diaspora communities have been developing pages and websites to openly show their pride in being Aboriginal and/or Greek from the early days of social media. For example, Facebook Groups that regularly share and exchange knowledge in a supported environment include "Aboriginals Of Australia" with over seventeen thousand members and "Greek Australians" with over 10k members, contributing to a strong natural sense of community building.

Facebook and Instagram have become important tools for Indigenous and migrant Hellenic diaspora communities in Australia to build and maintain their sense of community and connectedness. These social media platforms allow community members to connect with each other, share their experiences, and support one another.

Carlson, B., & Frazer, R. (2018) argue that instead of reiterating settler narratives of Indigenous "deficiency," Indigenous social media is a space of Indigenous action, production, and creativity where Indigenous social media users are powerful agents, who interact with and shape immediate worlds with skill, flair, and nous; and instead of being "a people of the past," Indigenous digital life is future-oriented, working towards establishing better relationships, communities, and worlds.

The same is said of migrant Hellenic diaspora communities. In the 1950s to 1970s, when many Greeks migrated to Western Europe, the US, Canada, and Australia. In the 1990s, Greece became a country that received migrants, but due to the economic crisis from 2010 onwards, Greece has become a country of migration once again, known as "new" Greek migration. (Georgalou, M. (2021). Demonstrating the conundrums of online-based communities, according to Mpofu, P., Asak, M. O., & Salawu, A. (2022), because traditional media in both the home and host countries often neglect and side line the interests of diasporic communities, Facebook has emerged as an alternative platform for these communities to participate in an alternative public, and connected, sphere.

First-generation Australians, or people who were born abroad and immigrated to Australia as children, are also an illustration of how Facebook offers further opportunity for community development among migrant diasporic networks. As a result, they are the first members of their family to be born or raised in Australia as young children. As a result, they frequently had to deal with conflicts and cultural differences between Australian society and the nation where their parents were born as youngsters, which gave them a unique perspective and diasporic identity. Hence, core Facebook and Instagram functions and features harnesses the opportunity to play a vital role in connecting these community members. For example, as well as Facebook Groups, there is the ability to broadcast live, expand use of hashtags, upload long or short form videos, create ephemeral content also knows as stories disappearing after twenty-four hours and produce entertaining and popular short form video, known as ‘reels’.

Indigenous and migrant Hellenic diaspora communities have taken advantage of the benefits of these digital platforms and features to come together, express identities, stay connected and also find humour in their relatability. For example, a variety of interactions, including those with specific pages like "I am Aboriginal," showcase pride in being Indigenous and fostering community. Additionally, pride is shown through profile pictures, cover images, followers and followees, posts, and handles.

Kennedy, T. (2021) argues when it comes to expressing their identities and connecting with other Indigenous people, events, and conversations, social media is a favourite tool among this population. Using social media, it is now possible to interact with other Indigenous people worldwide and over great distances where unprecedented widespread connectivity among Indigenous people is possible. Similarly on Instagram, for example #greekaustralian or #indigenousaustralia is another illustration of community building through the usage of hashtags. Social media platforms thus play a crucial role in public expression and awareness of culture.

Facebook and Instagram have played a significant role in increasing cultural awareness among Indigenous and migrant Hellenic diaspora communities in Australia. These social media platforms allow community members to share their cultural heritage with a larger audience and educate others and each other about their traditions and customs.

Social media has also transformed how Hellenic migrants who left Greece interact and establish cross-border communities. Having access to these two widely used channels for communication enables the diaspora to construct digital social networks that gives resources and chances to create a sense of community via shared experiences from the past, present and future. According to Keles, J.Y. (2016), social media in particular fosters the development of social networks, social capital, and diaspora participation in politics and culture both within and outside of national borders.

An exciting phenomenon is also the quick growth of Indigenous peoples' and groups' use of social media for social, cultural, and political connection. While this does not imply that there is no digital inequality, Carlson, B., & Dreher, T. (2018) contend that it disproves the notion that Indigenous peoples are uninterested in the potential of technology and the online world. Indigenous peoples are active on social media, which has been dubbed the "new frontier," connecting and networking in what may be considered a political and cultural re-establishment of online spaces. (Lumby, 2010). Indigenous people have created political activism and creative political practises on these new platforms that have contested prevailing ideologies, coordinated action, and created new communities.

Similarly, Instagram pages created by indigenous and migrant Hellenic diaspora in Australia are a great example of how respective community members connect with each other, share stories, provide cultural education, and promote cultural events. Example of these Instagram pages include @indigenousx @naidocweek @greeks_in_australia and @antipodesfestival to name a few. Social media exposure and campaign initiatives like these also create a breeding ground for innovation and opportunity for commercial outcomes.

Facebook and Instagram have emerged as powerful tools to drive commercial outcomes for Indigenous and migrant Hellenic diaspora communities in Australia. These social media platforms allow community members to promote their businesses, artwork, and cultural products to a larger audience. Indigenous peoples have never been able to connect in such large numbers, according to a study by Kennedy, T. (2021). The study's findings also show that Indigenous peoples are aware of the challenges of navigating a digital environment that displays persistent colonial attempts to oppress Indigenous identities. Despite the dangers of social media, however, Indigenous people are making use of these platforms for their own objectives, including the development of their sense of self, identifying with others, and being identified, promoting their businesses, as well as using them for humour and disruption.

Social media and mobile technology are being used for a growing number of purposes, which is both challenging and changing the status quo while also opening up new potential for innovation. As an example, IndigenousX, a media, consultancy, and training company that is 100% owned and controlled by Indigenous people, upholds Indigenous knowledge, voices, and ways of being while advocating for the ideals of self-determination. Luke Pearson, a Gamilaraay man who created IndigenousX in 2012, used social media to advocate for causes, spread knowledge, and create a viable and successful business model.

Online third places such as Facebook and Instagram have emerged as important platforms for creating and fostering collaborations that support business start-ups and business development. These online spaces have become increasingly important in recent years, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, as businesses have had to shift their operations online. Examples of organisations leveraging these platforms to promote economic development and independence among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is Indigenous Business Australia (IBA).

IBA was created to assist and enhance the economic development opportunities of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across Australia, and its presence on Facebook and Instagram has enabled the organisation to attract, support and champion business growth and commercial outcomes for its community.

Similarly, the Hellenic Chamber of Commerce and Industry (HACCI), formed in Victoria in 1985 to promote and strengthen the economic and cultural ties between and amongst Greek Australians living in Australia and Greece. HACCI has also leveraged Facebook and Instagram to support business growth, create mentoring and networking opportunities and development within its community. These organisations serve as examples of how online third places can be used to create and foster collaborations that support economic development, independence, and vehicles as important commercial business models to promote the importance of entrepreneurship and business ownership among marginalised and underrepresented communities.

In this paper, I have argued the use of Facebook and Instagram by Indigenous and migrant Hellenic diaspora communities in Australia creates an online third place, fostering community building, cultural awareness, and commercial outcomes. Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, therefore, are essential tools. Linkages between Indigenous and migrant Hellenic diaspora communities in Australia are explored, highlighting the invisible connections between ethnic-settler-colonisers and Indigenous people and why these platforms play an important role to these communities. The use of these online third places, has allowed community members to share their cultural heritage, stories, and experiences with a larger, like-minded audience. It has also disrupted and shifted oppressive colonial algorithms and maintained the existence of online diasporic networks. These platforms have become vital for Indigenous and migrant Hellenic diaspora communities to build and maintain a sense of community and connectedness, allowing them to connect with each other, share their experiences, and become a space of action, production, and creativity where Indigenous and migrant Hellenic diaspora social media users in Australia are powerful agents who interact with the world to create positive outcomes on their terms.

References:

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