“What kind of girl is she?”: good and bad diasporic daughters on social media

Abstract

ABSTRACT Social media, such as Facebook and Instagram, act as online spaces where young migrants can engage in diasporic practices. This research captures the ways in which Indian young women living in Australia perform the “good girl” and “bad girl” on social media as a means through which to showcase their hybrid identities. With a focus on social media, the research stems from an investigation into the processes of identity construction for young migrants. The use of PhotoVoice and digital diaries were employed to assist with visualising the online identity performativities of the participants. The findings highlight the continued importance for the young women to be seen as good diasporic daughters who follow traditional roles of Indian womanhood; however, it will be shown how social media settings can be manipulated in such a way that the young women are able to contest these traditional roles and perform “bad” Indian behaviour.