Race and Digital Media

Since the early days of the internet, there have been questions about how emerging technologies might one day liberate or further harm communities of color that already face structural inequalities of racism. As reliance on computing technologies increases, it is also important to address questions about racial bias in the design of digital platforms, labor inequalities in tech industries, and digital surveillance on Black and Brown communities. 

This textbook provides a comprehensive introduction to the theory and research on race and digital media. Focusing on the experiences of people of color in the United States, it explores the various ways that racism and white supremacy have shaped aspects of our digital world ‒ from the infrastructures and policies that support technological development, to algorithms and the collection of data, to the interfaces that shape engagement. Yet it also reveals how communities of color have deployed digital media in ways that expand the public sphere, contest the status quo, and give voice to creativity and joy.

 
Race and Digital Media provides an essential resource for students of communication, media, technology, and society. It shows how to make sense of our ever-changing digital media landscape in a way that centers the continued impact of institutionalized racism and the potential for anti-racist futures.

Reviews

“Sweeping and exquisitely composed, this book should be the first stop for anyone interested in race and digital media. Lopez deftly synthesizes the problems and possibilities that emerge in our digital world. Lovingly worn, dog-eared, and adorned with colorful tabs ‒ this is how I expect to find this book in the hands of new students and long-time scholars alike!”
Ruha Benjamin, Princeton University

“Those of us who teach about race and digital media have been waiting for this book. Lopez offers an impressive survey that accessibly balances critical concepts on race, inequality, and social change with those of digital innovation, architectures, and governance.”
Sarah J. Jackson, University of Pennsylvania

“Lori Kido Lopez provides a compelling and comprehensive account of the various aspects related to both the history and current state of the intricate relationship between race and digital media. … The writing style is clear and engaging, weaving in pertinent research findings with colorful anecdotes and stories that enrich the narrative. ... the book would be very helpful for the uninitiated reader, including students in fields such as sociology, anthropology, political science, and communication studies. It should also be helpful for beginning researchers in these fields who look for a useful introduction into prominent questions and previous research efforts in each of the various study areas that form the complex relationships between racial inequalities and the highly influential world of digital media.”
Ethnic and Racial Studies