Young Indigenous creators dealing with social media 'cesspit'

Young Indigenous Australian creators are battling a torrent of racist abuse on social media, forcing them to reconsider sharing their lives and culture online. Katlyn Yeeda, known as the Derby Jetty Queen, who shares her passion for fishing, has been subjected to hateful comments and racist slurs. "I didn't realise how bad it [racism] was on social media," Yeeda said. "With all the hate comments I thought … 'I don't want to do this.'"

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I didn't realise how bad it [racism] was on social media. With all the hate comments I thought … 'I don't want to do this.'

Yeeda, who grew up fishing with her family in Derby, Western Australia, found nationwide support for her content, which showcased her expertise and positive stories of her hometown. Despite the encouragement, racist comments, often drawing on harmful stereotypes, made her question her online presence. "There's down days where I'm like, 'I'm so over it, I just want to give up,'" she said. However, she remains determined not to let the abuse silence her, recognizing it as an attempt to suppress Indigenous lifestyles. "They don't want us to put our lifestyle out there and show how we're living a different lifestyle from them."

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There's down days where I'm like, 'I'm so over it, I just want to give up,'

Darwin chef Zach Green, a descendant of the Gunditjmara people, shares a similar experience. He began posting about Indigenous recipes and culture in 2018 but was met with confronting racist abuse. "It was very confronting and I didn't understand it," Green said. "Why people would say those horrible, racist things, especially when I was just trying to cook food that was grown in our own backyard."

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They don't want us to put our lifestyle out there and show how we're living a different lifestyle from them.

After a break from social media, Green has returned but finds the situation has worsened. "I'm a bit more resilient in not reading the comments and blocking people," he said. "But at the same time I think it's just got worse … it does take a toll." He questions the effectiveness of social media platforms in protecting users, particularly those unfamiliar with the cultures being targeted. "How can someone that isn't from that culture make the justification that something should be blocked or reported when they haven't lived the culture before?" Green asked. Their experiences are part of a national inquiry examining the prevalence of online racism.

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It was very confronting and I didn't understand it. Why people would say those horrible, racist things, especially when I was just trying to cook food that was grown in our own backyard.