The very structure of the Internet embeds racism and colonialism. For example, the search engine algorithms we rely on for research enable and automate discriminatory systems of classification that perpetuate cultures of racism (Noble, 2018). The same racial geographical patterns that have historically arranged people, power, and resources also extend to the spatial logics of online space (McIlwain, 2016). Bringing together members of the Center for Critical Race and Digital Studies to begin the discussion, we will facilitate dialogue with a community of scholars about best practices, points of controversy, and issues of constraint connected to race and racism in Internet and technology studies. Through dialogue with other members of the AoIR community we hope to proffer ideas for decolonizing the interdisciplinary work of Internet research. Offering theoretical reflections from critical race theory and pragmatic best practices from our work, we consider 1) how Internet, digital and technology studies more broadly can better incorporate critical work by scholars of color; 2) how these fields can and should address ethical issues related to data collection and use with, within, and about communities of color; and 3) the need and rationale for centralizing issues of race, marginalization, inequality and discrimination within the fields of Internet, and science and technology studies. In addition to the five named fish for this session (Sarah J. Jackson, Charlton McIlwain, Safiya Noble, Catherine Knight Steele, and Tonia Sutherland), other members of the CRDS, including André Brock, Meredith D. Clark, Anika Navaroli, Rachel Kuo, Kendra Calhoun, and Minh-Ha T. Pham will be in attendance to offer insights and dialogue.
References:
Charlton McIlwain (2016) Racial formation, inequality and the political economy of web traffic, Information, Communication & Society, DOI: 10.1080/1369118X.2016.1206137
Safiya Noble (2018) Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism. New York University Press.
