Unraveling the pinkwashing discourse on X and Instagram

Abstract

The (perceived) appropriation of social issues for promotional purposes, without translating that awareness and support into real social change, is a growing trend in marketing and is widely discussed under the term ‘washing’ practice. This paper examines the discourses associated with the term pinkwashing and explores the networks, sentiments, and persuasive aspects of this concept. We take an exploratory and descriptive approach to examine this issue at the content level by analyzing how consumers engage in public discourse in social media posts (on X: N = 17,641 and Instagram N = 1,000). Our findings show that discussion surrounding perceived pinkwashing is a constant trend online. Furthermore, two distinct communities are associated with the term pinkwashing: breast cancer awareness and LGBTQIA* community support. Criticism of perceived pinkwashing practice is often linked to a desire to empower the community and only marginally serves an educational purpose regarding the persuasive intentions behind this practice.