Understanding Digital Racism: Networks, Algorithms, Scale

Digital technologies are proliferating and transforming racism, making it harder to challenge. Understanding Digital Racism explores how racism is manifested and remade through digital technologies, focusing on the sociotechnical entanglements of racism and digital technologies.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 132 pages
Publication date: 15 November 2023
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield International

Digital technologies are rapidly proliferating, reshaping, and complicating our understanding of racism, making it increasingly challenging to combat. This phenomenon is known as digital racism, which manifests in various forms, including viral memes circulating on social media platforms, the targeted harassment of individuals of color by swarms of networked users, the use of hidden algorithmic classification and sorting, and the racial profiling of policing and surveillance systems. The diverse and intricate nature of technologically mediated racisms raises the question of whether sufficient attention has been given to the digital processes and environments through which race materializes.

Understanding Digital Racism delves into the digital realm as a powerful tool for creating and perpetuating contemporary racism. Author Sanjay Sharma offers a novel perspective on how racism, once perceived as an informational and immaterial post-racial phenomenon, is now manifest and reimagined through the lens of digital technologies. By foregrounding the sociotechnical entanglements of racism and digital technologies, the book provides a comprehensive analysis of networked relations, information flows, subjectivation, and affects that contribute to the production of digital racism.

The rise of digital racism is closely linked to the proliferation of social media platforms and the widespread access to information. Viral memes, often created with the intention of spreading hate and discrimination, can quickly spread across networks, targeting individuals based on their race, ethnicity, or identity. The anonymity provided by these platforms allows for the amplification of racist messages and the creation of echo chambers where harmful stereotypes are reinforced.

In addition to the spread of racist content, digital racism involves the swarming of networked users who target individuals of color with harassment, abuse, and threats. This online harassment can take many forms, including doxing, trolling, and cyberbullying, which can have severe psychological and emotional consequences for the victims. The anonymity and distance provided by digital platforms make it easier for harassers to perpetrate their acts without facing consequences.

Hidden algorithmic classification and sorting also play a significant role in digital racism. Algorithms used by social media platforms, search engines, and other digital services can perpetuate biases and discrimination by assigning individuals to predefined categories based on their race, ethnicity, or other attributes. This can lead to the exclusion of individuals from opportunities, the amplification of harmful stereotypes, and the perpetuation of systemic inequalities.

Racial profiling by policing and surveillance systems is another manifestation of digital racism. The use of data analytics and artificial intelligence algorithms to monitor and analyze large amounts of data can lead to the targeting of individuals based on their race or ethnicity. This can result in disproportionate policing, surveillance, and criminalization of marginalized communities, perpetuating cycles of poverty, violence, and incarceration.

To address the challenges posed by digital racism, it is essential to recognize the sociotechnical entanglements of racism and digital technologies. An analysis of networked relations, information flows, subjectivation, and affects is crucial in understanding how digital racism is produced and reproduced. This requires a multidisciplinary approach that involves scholars from various fields, including sociology, computer science, and media studies.

One approach to addressing digital racism is through the development of ethical frameworks and policies that promote diversity, inclusion, and fairness in the digital realm. This can involve measures such as promoting diversity in hiring practices, implementing anti-discrimination policies, and developing algorithms that are transparent and unbiased. Additionally, education and awareness campaigns can be launched to promote digital literacy, critical thinking, and empathy, which can help individuals recognize and challenge racist content and behaviors.

In conclusion, digital technologies are rapidly proliferating, reshaping, and complicating our understanding of racism. Digital racism manifests in various forms, including viral memes, targeted harassment, hidden algorithmic classification, and racial profiling by policing and surveillance systems. Understanding the sociotechnical entanglements of racism and digital technologies is essential for addressing this phenomenon. By promoting diversity, inclusion, and fairness in the digital realm, developing ethical frameworks and policies, and promoting digital literacy and critical thinking, we can work towards creating a more inclusive and equitable society.

Weight: 218g
Dimension: 232 x 153 x 10 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781786613943