Co-opted Marginality and Social Media in Singapore

Abstract

Social media provide a platform for groups that are not conventionally ostracized to claim marginality. This study proposes a working definition for the phenomenon of "co-opted marginality" within the context of communication on social media. The phenomenon is examined in the Singaporean context; 17 Singaporean citizens were interviewed about their experiences with immigration online and offline. We find that, within constrained legal, social, and traditional media environments, social media provides a platform for a dominant group facing challenges to enact co-opted marginality.