Social inclusion, and the power of being ‘seen’ and ‘heard’ in 2018

Abstract

Whose experiences, lives and values do we have most access to, and whose voices end up being heard or privileged? What does ‘visibility’ really mean in a world with a 24-hour media cycle, the opening up and democratisation of participatory models fuelled by social media, and increasing opportunities for direct representation which bypass traditional gatekeepers of information dissemination? From the protest at this year’s World Cup final carried out by Russian feminist musicians and activist group Pussy Riot, to the Black Lives Matter movement, and the increasing popular resistance to the detention of asylum seekers in Australia, we see increasing examples of the lived experiences of those kept ‘out of view’.