Silenced and Seen: the Black Experience

The experiences of invisibility and hypervisibility have a strong presence in communities that are systematically oppressed and marginalized. Invisibility is viewed as a synonym for oblivious ostracism, implying that a person is deemed "unworthy of attention" within their social environment. In contrast, hypervisibility is being focused on more than is normative in that environment. Past research has found that both the experience of invisibility and hypervisibility threaten Black individuals' fundamental needs and lead to worse mood, with invisibility being more need-threatening. Additional research indicates that individuals who experience invisibility tend to use it strategically. Future research should continue to explore the nuances and potential overlaps of invisibility and hypervisibility across the stages of the Temporal Need-Threat Model. Additionally, future researchers should utilize diverse populations and technological advancements to understand the psychological and behavioral effects of invisibility and hypervisibility in other racial and ethnic groups.