Representing the unrepresented: postcolonial perspectives on marginalized voices in Mariana Atencio’s TEDx speech <i>What Makes You Special</i>

This study uses a decolonial digital media analysis to examine how structures of ‘otherness’ are constructed, experienced, and resisted within contemporary digital narratives, with specific attention to platforms like TEDx as sites of both colonial reinforcement and decolonial possibility. It focuses on Mariana Atencio’s What Makes You Special TEDx Talk and Sara Ahmed’s (2013) framework in her book Strange Encounters: Embodied Others in Post-Coloniality, which explores personified others in post-coloniality. Atencio’s story places her experience within a specific framework of decolonial discourse, emphasizing the experiences of marginalized voices, especially overseas students. This study addresses the underexplored application of decolonial theory to contemporary digital media texts, specifically examining how they reflect or resist colonial narratives. The analysis sheds light on how her story challenges and reflects ongoing structures of coloniality. It also shows how being labelled as ‘other’ can have psychological impacts and how digital media platforms may serve as sites for decolonial practice, challenging established power structures and fostering understanding. The paper highlights the importance of multidimensional and inclusive narration in media endorsing stories that embrace diversity and enhance inclusivity to eventually decolonize media and academia.