Digital Diaspora: The Role of Social Media in Shaping Black Youth Identity

Every communication tool has its era, and each generation can recall the method of communication that facilitated particular milestones or memories, personally and professionally. Each generation can also witness, in real time, how reliance on one method can easily be replaced or upgraded by another.

Dragging telephone cords across rooms for privacy, taking notes in class from an overhead projector, or listening to music on vinyl—witnessing the evolution of communication changes comes with an ease of delivery, as technologies and knowledge expand. It also comes with a learning curve, as users adjust to new processes, protocols, and purposes.

The medium is the message. Since this was stated from mass media theorist Marshall McLuhan, as early as 1964, technologies have come and gone, and new instruments have made many of them obsolete. Now, just within one year, communication trends and tools move quickly, and can be eliminated simply due to changed rhetoric, cancel culture atrocities, novelty, or unexpected external factors.

Social media changed everything, and there’s currently an app for everything that has since changed. How do these changes affect the intergenerational range in African diasporic communities? Like with other industrial and intellectual advances, routines are adjusted—including storytelling—and messages are circulated in innovative, more convenient, ways.

The communication model that is social media is unique in that it has numerous ways of affecting the lives and ideologies of today’s Black youth. In particular, it can have a positive impact on their identity formation, how they address activism and issues of social justice, and also the ways in which they use social media technologies to integrate the creative arts.

According to a 2024 Social Media Content Strategy Report, 91% of Generation Z social media users (for the sake of this essay, “today’s youth”/Gen Z represents those born between 1997 and 2012), are active Instagram users; 86% utilize the TikTok application, making these platforms the most popular for the Zoomers, who are most likely to use both channels for entertainment and to connect with friends and family. Additional engagement taking place through Instagram and TikTok are mainly to view short-form videos and brand posts. Long-form videos are viewed through YouTube, the third most utilized social media channel for Gen Z.

Amongst U.S. teens in particular, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat are most widely used—almost constantly, according to a web poll. The Pew Research report “Teens, Social Media, and Technology 2024” surveyed youth 13 to 17 years of age, which revealed that YouTube was the most used application (by 9 out of 10 teens), followed by TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat. Facebook, WhatsApp, X (Twitter), Reddit, and Threads ranked much lower in the sample of 1391 teens, conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs.

According to the Pew Research report, Facebook and X (Twitter) use has “steeply declined over the past decade,” with only 32% of teens reporting the use of Facebook, and 17% using X regularly, a reduction of approximately half than in the previous decade.

YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat are used several times a day by teens; some respondents reported being on the apps almost constantly. Amongst those surveyed, teen girls were more likely to use TikTok almost constantly, while teen boys were most constantly on YouTube. Instagram and Facebook usage were reported equally by both genders.

Black and Hispanic teens were more likely than White teens to use YouTube or Instagram constantly; there were only slight ethnic differences with constant Snapchat and Facebook use. Also, more girls used Instagram than boys.

The Pew Research report also indicated the following for TikTok use: Black (79%), Hispanic (74%), and White (54%).

Nearly half of teens reported they are online “almost constantly,” and overall, teens use the internet daily (96%) with access to a smartphone or computer at home.

With constant and high usage, the messages created and disseminated are widespread, current, quickly produced, creatively focused, and highly engaging. Advances in algorithmic programming also make it easier for users to authentically customize their social media experience and the information they receive, be it humour, healing, cultural, educational, stewardship-based, music, sports, or kinship through gaming experiences.

Dr. Angela Patterson, in a report for Psychology Today, presented ways in which social media can positively affect Black youth in particular, and how it opens up opportunities for support where youth are “able to engage in positive identity development, which can mediate some of the effects of racial discrimination and resulting trauma.”

In the young adult novel Dancehall Rebel, Denise—a Black Jamaican-Canadian teenager—engages with the Twitch social media platform (a livestreaming application, where users watch and create video content), initially for gaming. Through interacting with her peers digitally playing Zelda, Denise realizes there’s also an opportunity to use the app to stream and enjoy music.

Using this book as an example, the ways in which social media can share messaging and impact Black youth identity and development will be explored. An 18-year-old girl, born and raised in Toronto, Canada, Denise turns to the Twitch application to build community, celebrate culture, discuss contemporary issues, and it allows her to explore her own identity in a safe space amongst her peer group of Black and Caribbean teens across the Diaspora.

Black youth innovate and cultivate joy while using social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, as they express their cultural identities, explore new ideologies, and build community with one another through Direct Messages, engaging in commenting, and by subscribing and supporting the creativity of others. These open format platforms allow for original content creation, and unlike previous iterations of social media, the spaces are becoming increasingly progressive, and self-monitored, with bullying and hate speech being reserved for particular platforms in particular subjects. They are also becoming quite lucrative, and part of the model involves financial support of creators, who are rewarded for the benefits and entertaining content they curate.

A USC Rossier School of Education study from Adriana Maestas found that “Black and Latinx youth online engagement can foster a positive sense of self,” and that there were many benefits for navigating ethnic-racial identity online. Black and Latinx youth tend to spend more time online engaged with social media content than their white peers, and as a result, also spend more time than youth of other ethnicities “making sense of what their ethnic-racial identity” means to them, and engaging civically and politically online.

These relationships help similar peers cope with harmful information encountered online, and they can also lead to better academic outcomes and mental health benefits.

Maestas also suggested that parents and teachers guide youth in their online explorations where ethnic-racial identity is concerned, particularly in schools where they are the minority, or do not have access to culturally-relevant materials. In these circumstances, supporting online activities is critical. This is particularly important where books are banned, or discussion of Black history in the classroom is limited or inaccurate. Fortunately, digital literacy has also allowed youth the expertise to “sift through stereotypes and misinformation” where they can not rely on teachers to provide accurate information.

Rather than depending on television cable news or mainstream news publications, youth are able to curate and support the voices they trust, the opinions they value, and do it in a way that also builds culture and identity without restriction or permission required, through social media.

In Dancehall Rebel, the digital space the protagonist Denise uses to play video games is also the space where she chats with fellow gamers, and realizes her similarities to other teens in Canada, across the U.S., and within other locations. In this book, Twitch is the digital space that amplifies her cultural expression of music, and also allows her to connect with those who share her Jamaica/Caribbean traditions and values.

Denise is able to engage with technology from the comfort of her home as she anticipates finishing high school and prepares for university. She is able to seek support and fellowship as she faces family challenges and navigates her evolving self-identity. All of these discussions take place while utilizing social media. The interactions contribute to her identity formation, and facilitate her communication processes throughout.

Platforms like Twitch also allow for the blending of traditional and contemporary forms of expression. For example, conversations online are translated to a WhatsApp chat group for fellow gamers, and eventually friendships develop and extend to in-person connections.

The art of creating global communities like the one Denise builds on the Twitch platform is now common, as youth realize their identify formation and entertainment are no longer restricted to particular platforms or people. There are enough tools and enough interests to give youth very specific access to what they need to explore, heal, laugh, and grow.

Twitch—although a lesser-known social media application—is quite significant in reach. There are currently 7.35 million monthly broadcasters on the platform, which grew from 1.5 million in 2014. Of those broadcasting, Twitch Tracker reports that there are more than 7.3 million individual channels live on Twitch each month, and on average, 95,600 of them are streaming simultaneously.

In their annual recap, Twitch reported the following for the end of 2024: 21,443,458 active streamers, 9.51 million new streamers, a total of 879 million hours of streamed content viewed, and 20.35 billion hours watched overall.

In Dancehall Rebel, Denise becomes a music streamer in addition to playing video games on Twitch. In real life (IRL), there were over 14,277 DJs streaming live on Twitch in 2024, creating over 530,000 hours of live music.

The top streamer on the application: 23-year-old Kai Cenat with 15.4 million followers and 289,543 subscribers. Kai, a young Black man of Trinidadian-American descent, has been streaming on the Twitch app since 2021, according to Streams Charts.

Much like the #BookTok trend on TikTok has made changes to the publishing industry where recommendations, reviews, and creative content are concerned, uber-popular streamers like Kai Cenat are at a high ‘influencer’ status, where their opinions, content, and engagement also inform real life trends, activities, and outcomes.

Because of this crucial feature, the opportunity for positive outcomes are possible due to the formation of global communities—there is no geographic limitation on how, when, or why information is shared. It is shared in real time: uploaded, circulated, assessed, and acted upon. In many cases, even local news and international reports travel quicker through social media audiences, than traditional new sources, to release information. Unlike traditional media, the social media landscape also allows for real-time commentary and analysis of current cultural events, in a way that television news and other outlets can not engage in to the same extent.

Dr. Patterson’s Psychology Today report demonstrates how social media sources influence the connections between positive identity outcomes for Black youth, based on five social-cognitive processes presented by Tate LeBlanc and Aerika Brittian Loyd: 1) using media to envision possible selves; 2) enhancing the ability to achieve goals and self-efficacy through examples, and through expanding possibilities; 3) creating a sense of belonging, and affirming positive aspects of identity; 4) providing social support, information, and guidance through exposure to racial identity; and 5) discovering a healthy way to affirm personal interests, identify, and cultivate them.

With social media platforms being so accessible, users have a uniquely specific global reach available to them from all parts of the world. Much like the introduction of the internet in general, social media is an information-sharing equalizer, that allows any and everyone to engage in content in the same place at the same time. Where a now multi-millionaire like Kai Cenat (thanks to channel subscribers, brand deals, and other lucrative opportunities provided through exposure) can still directly engage with one of his followers in real time, daily, and they can collectively build consensus by simply agreeing that a concept is a “W” (win) or “L” (loss) in the chat room, for example, and the users and host(s) can communicate these sentiments immediately.

This power was evident when the #BlackLivesMatter movement was initially used to leverage various technologies to support activism. Spreading information, support, and hope to specific individuals, and sending messages and awareness gained momentum online through various social media platforms.

In Dancehall Rebel, there were significant moments where the protagonist Denise and her community were inspired by messaging online, and used technology to mobilize from across the continent. They shared commentary about their favourite 90s dancehall reggae songs, and while they agreed that the language was questionable and discriminatory at times, they were also able to collectively agree that they still respected the recording artists, enjoyed dancing to the lively tunes, and decided they would continue to support the musical culture above all else. Regardless.

These are niche cultural sentiments that can not be explored by mass media with the same efficiency or accuracy. Instantaneous, through social media, messaging can be transferred just as clearly and prominently as any longstanding newspaper or television news program.

Denise’s new online community was inspired by their commonalities, and eventually connected IRL within a local college community in Ottawa, Ontario (where Denise attends her first year of university). Also, through their social media connection, they were inspired to mobilize a campus group of like-minded and culturally similar Black/Caribbean youth, creating special events and musical sessions on the ground.

There is a duality in social media platforms that can not be overlooked: they are accessible spaces for empowerment, but they are potentially spaces of vulnerability as well, since cyber-racism and censorship are still prevalent across all virtual communities and digital platforms.

Unfortunately, the “more immediate access to traumatizing imagery” on Black youth’s mental health is one of the side effects of social media that can be destructive, if not carefully monitored. In the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Abiba Salahou, MD found that repeated exposure and PTSD viewed on social media can affect self-esteem and how youth perceive the world. The results of Dr. Salahou’s study showed that repeated exposure to brutality can lead to media-induced vicarious trauma.

To understand this very real and common occurrence, particularly where sensitive matters of identity and culture are involved, Tiera Tanksley and Alexis E. Hunter addressed how to improve socio-emotional and mental health in their article “Black youth, digital activism, and racial battle fatigue: how Black youth enact hope, humor, and healing online.” Symptoms included anxiety, depression, fatigue, and exhaustion, for which the 25 Black youth activist participants turned to social media to seek “culturally situated and identity-specific healing practices, including restoring the body, the mind, the community, and the soul.” 

Included in the Handbook on Youth Activism, Edited by Jerusha Conner, social media was considered an essential and impactful method of addressing these challenges.

Social media platforms enable Black youth to remain innovative in activism and self-care, in addition to music, literature, and the creative arts at-large. Streaming content ranges from playing music, to talk shows, special sessions or events, and the utilization of comedic, theatrical, and other specialized skills. Artists and creative streamers (of all ages) are able to reach infinite audiences by integrating new technologies and welcoming new viewers.

In Dancehall Rebel, Denise was able to reach a like-minded music community by initially reaching out within the video game community on Twitch. Similar connections can be made on a range of social media platforms that are less conventional like SoundCloud, Bluesky, or Reddit as well.

Twitch is one of the biggest live-streaming platforms in the world; understanding the need for niche content creators and community formation, the platform hosts events and initiatives to support creators and communities both on- and offline: “Twitch has emerged as a thriving space where Black streamers not only showcase their talents but also cultivate a positive and inclusive community.”

Their efforts include launching campaigns to celebrate the diverse cultures and voices within the Twitch community, and the positive impacts of Black streamers—specific guilds like the Twitch Black Guild (also the Twitch Latin Guild, Twitch Women’s Guild, and Twitch Pride Guild) host livestreams, gaming tournaments, and talent showcases for other Guild members, fostering year-round inclusivity, as noted in Enspire Magazine.

Launched in 2023, Twitch Unity Guilds were created to “provide a safe space for our creator communities to learn, share empower, and grow together with the help of dedicated funding and branding from Twitch.” The program includes Discord servers, allowing daily communication with members—including education, conversation, and inspiration—and ongoing dialogue. The Guilds also host content moments at annual conferences, and opportunities for panel discussions at large-scale in-person gatherings like TwitchCon, and DreamCon.

The platform empowers creative facilitators (Twitch Unity Guild Leaders), to ensure spaces are productive, enjoyable, and safe for participants. They also ensure creators connect and thrive through meaningful collaboration, and are expanding North American Guilds to champion intersectional support globally through streams for Disabled Creators, Indigenous Creators, and Active Military Service and Veteran Creators.

Social media platforms can also address the digital divide and access inequalities. Where travel and particular experiences can not be reached, technology allows Black youth across the globe to see, experience, and interact. This also works across generations, as Denise in Dancehall Rebel introduces her mother and aunt to the Twitch platform, as they are primarily Instagram and Facebook users.

There is great opportunity to highlight and endorse positives of social media that counteract the damage from cyberbullying, misinformation, and unwanted surveillance, particularly for Black youth. For example, the support, the camaraderie, the self-esteem benefits through shared identity and commonalities, and also the joy experienced—laughter and connections. There are tremendous opportunities within the social media experience for candid reflection, problem solving, and honest conversation in a space where the most authentic voices tend to be rewarded.

By regularly interacting in these spaces, digital literacy naturally increases for users, and critical thinking skills evolve when interacting with individuals in outside territories, or those who are well-versed in specific areas of niche content. Interpersonal relationships take on new meanings, across larger boundaries, and the users themselves set the metrics and standards for what they deem is a safe and beneficial online space to be a part of.

There is transformative potential with technology use for Black youth across the digital Diaspora, through emphasising the role in reshaping and communicating cultural identity and activism in particular. Social media can play a powerful role in reshaping and strengthening cultural identity for Black youth, and to ensure the messages, actions, and recommendations remain uplifting and are in the best interest of their ongoing growth and development.

American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. (2023). Social media and its impact on youth mental health. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 62(12), 1450-1462. Retrieved from https://www.jaacap.org/article/S0890-8567(23)00573-7/fulltext

Conner, J. (Ed.). (2024). Handbook on youth activism. Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781803923222

Enspire Magazine. (2024, February). Twitch shines a spotlight on Black streamers, fostering inclusivity year-round. Retrieved from https://enspiremag.com/2024/02/twitch-shines-a-spotlight-on-black-streamers-fostering-inclusivity-year-round/

McLuhan, M. (1964). The medium is the message. Retrieved from https://web.mit.edu/allanmc/www/mcluhan.mediummessage.pdf

Pew Research Center. (2024, December 12). Teens, social media, and technology 2024. Retrieved from https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2024/12/12/teens-social-media-and-technology-2024/

Psychology Today. (2024, February). Could social media positively affect Black youth? Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/young-people-decoded/202402/could-social-media-positively-affect-black-youth

Robinson, S. (2024). Dancehall rebel. James Lorimer & Company Ltd.

Sprout Social. (2024). Gen Z social media insights. Retrieved from https://sproutsocial.com/insights/gen-z-social-media

Twitch. (2024). Annual recap. Retrieved from https://www.twitch.tv/annual-recap

Twitch. (2024, August 28). An update to Twitch Unity Guilds. Retrieved from https://blog.twitch.tv/en/2024/08/28/an-update-to-twitch-unity-guilds/

Twitch. (n.d.). Twitch Unity Guilds. Retrieved from https://help.twitch.tv/s/article/twitch-unity-guilds

TwitchTracker. (n.d.). Kai Cenat streaming statistics. Retrieved from https://streamscharts.com/channels/kaicenat 

University of Southern California Rossier School of Education. (2024, April). New study finds Black and Latinx youth online engagement can foster positive sense of self. Retrieved from https://rossier.usc.edu/news-insights/news/2024/april/new-study-finds-black-and-latinx-youth-online-engagement-can-foster-positive-sense-self