The hashtag of BlackLivesMatter is now trending. Row after row of black squares littered the Instagram feeds of several people Tuesday morning, and a fast search for the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter revealed a grid almost entirely made up of solid black backgrounds.
The black squares were intended to express solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. And also, the protests which swept the country in police custody for the past week after George Floyd’s death.
But, some activists say the black grid can cause more harm than good to the movement by drowning out vital information and amplification.
“If you’re participating in this, don’t use the # BlackLivesMatter tag,” the actor Kumail Nanjiani wrote on Twitter. “It pushes important and relevant content downwards. Use the #BlackOutTuesday method.’
Then, some people took to Twitter to beg others to stop posting the black photos with the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag. It was drowning out information about protests, bail funds, and how to help the movement. Searches for #blacklivesmatter on Instagram turned up nearly all-black squares, with only a few posts containing information.
Adam Mosseri, chief executive of Instagram, weighed in on the appropriate way to post, writing, “We ‘re hearing group requests that Blackout Tuesday posts use the hashtag # blackouttuesday, not # blacklivesmatter.”
He said you can edit your post to delete the hashtag by people who have already written.
On the other hand, others have posted guidance asking people to delete the hashtag # BlackLivesMatter from their tweets.
The concept for a blackout day evolved and blossomed into the protests of social media. In addition, it also reflects a break from writing about other “standard” social media issues.
