Not “falling for the okey-doke”: #BlackLivesMatter as resistance to disinformation in online communities

Abstract

ABSTRACT Black lives have continually been subject to historical and contemporary harassment campaigns attempting to disrupt and usurp Black engagement in a multitude of institutional arenas. Black folks have resisted these attempts to re-establish control and containment that are rooted in white and/or masculine anxieties, anger, and fear. Black women in particular have been at the forefront of these resistance campaigns, reminding us not to fall for the “okey-doke” of the mis/disinformation levied upon our communities. This paper explores disinformation and fake news trends through a Black cyberfeminist lens. New patterns and methods of disinformation (while old) are (re)emerging alongside new and evolving information and digital technologies. This paper argues that #BlackLivesMatter can be understood as resistance to disinformation in online communities through the continued innovation of Black women’s digital praxis. It further argues that despite the attempts of the most recent information war to render Black perspectives invisible, Black women’s digital praxis has proved worthy to combat the harmful effects of disinformation campaigns levied against the Black community.