The Rise of the Instagram Infographic: What are they really good for?
As we all know, the murder of George Floyd in May triggered perhaps the most active anti-racist movement in America since the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, as over 2,000 cities protested across the states. The internet served as a massive aid in helping to elicit change fueled by this widespread outrage, whether in the form of petitions on change.org or eye-witness accounts from Twitter. One platform also took action in the only way it knows how: pictures.
Instagram has been somewhat troubling to say the least. On June 2, 2020 around 28 million Instagram users posted a black square with the hashtag #blacklivesmatter to show their support for the cause. Not only was this a prime example of non-effectual performative activism, but clogged the blm hashtag which contained helpful resources with near meaningless virtue-signaling. For perspective, only 19 million users signed the “Justice for George Floyd” petition.
Some used the platform beneficially, by using the slide up feature on Stories to link articles, petitions, and donation funds which could be used to further awareness. Many retired from posting their regular thirst traps and food pics for a few weeks in respect to the greater moment at hand, one which hasn’t been seen in social media’s lifetime. Instagram feeds have largely returned to “normal” in the months that have followed besides one form of visual media: the infographic.
Composed in the vein of an aesthetically-pleasing PowerPoint, infographics on Instagram are created and shared with the intention of spreading information in an easily consumable way to a generation that has relatively short attention spans and a disdain for traditional news media. In theory, these graphics can be helpful in communicating basic facts to large audiences who won’t bother doing their own research. Many of the posts use condescending diction as a way to shame users into giving them attention, and since Instagram is all about appearance, those same users re-post the images to cultivate a more informed persona. The problem lies in how many of these posts aren’t fact-checked, sourced, or delivered without bias, instead boxing audiences into complacency over issues that couldn’t possibly be condensed within a hundred words.
For example, the day Joe Biden announced Kamala Harris as his Vice President, there was an infographic circulating which broke down the Senator’s positions and gave a brief background to her political career thus far. The post was skewed to emphasize the senator’s more liberal policies and co-sponsoring of legislation, as well as her accomplishments as being the “first,” whether it be as the first female San Francisco District Attorney or the first black woman to serve as California Attorney General in an attempt to appeal to identity politics. On the sixth slide titled “California,” the post’s creator added a footnote at the bottom that reads, “It’s worth noting that some have taken issue with Harris’ background as Attorney General.” There are certainly a few “issues” people have with Harris’ record which this post failed to include, whether her support for a law that punished parents for their child’s truancy, convicting over 1,900 marijuana-related charges, or declining to investigate officer-involved shootings or support bills that would mandate all police officers to wear a body camera. Harris’ self-proclaimed nicknames like “top cop” or the oxymoron “progressive prosecutor” indicate she may not be the first choice to all those who have been risking their safety and actively advocating to defund the police. This post not only leaves out all of these ugly truths, but disabled the comments so that no one could bring these matters to light or attempt to argue.
Certainly not all these posts are as biased as the Harris one, but many resort to a similar oversimplification of matters that are just too convoluted. There are many of these slideshows, for example, aimed to debunk the Israeli-Palestinian conflict which is something that cannot possibly be condensed in a couple hundred words at most. The harm of these posts is that Instagram users can read them feeling fully informed without double-checking any of the information or considering another perspective, which in some cases can leave a reader no different than a Trump supporter not questioning one of the President’s tweets. Rejecting any journalistic practices while trying to report on delicate matters can be more harmful than one might think, resulting in emboldened one-sided opinions or perpetuating a strain of ignorance.
Some of these posts, that don’t over-step the limitations of Instagram, can actually be quite helpful or informative. As of late there are several posts circulating on ways to help support the USPS as well as provide facts as to why the institution is indispensable to many lives and worth saving in the first place. Accounts like @rallyandrise provide mini-guides to help become a better activist or ally, whether in posts titled “5 Ways to Turn your Activism Into A Habit,” or “5 Types of Activist Fatigue And How to Deal With Them.” Others give brief history lessons on remarkable individuals who were left out of history books, anyone from Marsha P. Johnson to Alaa Salah, as seen in @gfx_prints’ Black History Month series. Ultimately, there are many ways individuals have taken advantage of Instagram’s analytics and easy-sharing capabilities to spread information in a beneficial way without misconstruing a discussion to get more likes.
It is certainly admirable to bring activism and awareness into as many sectors of life as possible. The intention of some of these infographics is largely good, but sometimes one’s intention is not good enough. By educating social media users on the importance of media literacy and encouraging the consumption of multiple perspectives, a full picture can more closely be established rather than a fragment of the true story. This is an unprecedented time for accessible information, as breaking news darts across the world in milliseconds and everyone’s voice has the potential to be heard. With this ability comes a responsibility, and it is up to the people to stay informed and engaged, but also to stay wary.
