Social Media as Tool and Hindrance

This chapter looks more closely at the area of social media, considering how it has been both a tool and a hindrance to the body size activism movement. As participants argued, social media has allowed them to post images of themselves, as they want, and tell stories about their lives that do not need to accommodate anti-fat biases in traditional media. However, this ability to be explicitly pro-fat—as well as sex positive, anti-racist, and activists in various causes—has been hindered by outright censorship (deletion of accounts and content), soft forms of censorship such as shadow banning (where social media companies limit the reach of content without notifying the user), and social media companies platforming and promoting hate groups. The history of Twitter/X is discussed in relation to Elon Musk’s acquiring of the company, and various artists and technology advocates are interviewed here who are either part of or adjacent to fat liberation. The chapter delves into the concept of online enclaves, both their power and limitations, and the realm of disability awareness, free speech, and the challenges facing the art community writ large as companies favor certain content while suppressing others.