Racism in the Virtual World

1. Dina Duella * Andrew Lander * Sara Lichterman Katerina Matsa * Chirag Patel* Ming Zhao Racism in the Virtual World

2. Agenda • Introduction * Katerina • Disciplines – Why? Questions? * Sara • Research Questions and Gaps * Andrew • Methods *Claire • Research Plan and Conclusion * Chirag

3. Racism • The belief that all members of each race possess characteristics, abilities, or qualities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races. Hence: prejudice and antagonism towards people of other races, esp. those felt to be a threat to one's cultural or racial integrity or economic well-being; the expression of such prejudice in words or actions. (Oxford English Dictionary)

4. The Problem? • Racism is on the net: • Blogs • Games • Social Networking Sites • Chat rooms • Websites • Virtual Worlds

5. Example 1

6. Example 2

7. Example 2 Continued

8. Example 3 Second life –There.com

9. SOCIOLOGY? COMMUNICATION? What discipline should we view this problem through?

10. Why look at racism through these disciplines? Sociology communication Lack of visual cues (body language, facial expressions) Chat room communication Blogs Media Richness • Social norms are replicated in online communities => use sociological principles to study online communities. • Problem: minority access on the internet => “digital divide”. • In cyberspace, “The grand narrative of hierarchy is seriously challenged. It is impossible to do hierarchy in cyberspace…The net is patriarchal to the extent that the machines have been dominated by pale males.” (Myburgh, 1997-98: p.22-23)

11. How do these disciplines explore our problem? SOCIOLOGY COMMUNICATION How important is the medium to the construction of meaning, and how do people make and transmit meaning? What are the semantic implications of conveying messages without face-to-face contact? • How do individual behaviors affect society? • What are the social structures and hierarchies in society? • How do people organize into groups and construct communities around identities such as race or gender?

12. Castranova’s comment John Gabriel's Greater Internet Fu*wad Theory Normal Person + Anonymity + Audience = Total Fu*wad Is there a research gap?

13. Our research questions • What alternative cues exist in the virtual world that are not reflected in the physical world? • How do online communications in the virtual world affect racism in the physical world? • Is racism in the virtual world a mere reflection of the racism in the physical world?

14. Our perspectives Goal of Research: Expose alienation and power structures within society so as to work towards social change Axiology: Reason for research is value…for social change..values should be an integral part of project selection, study, and dissemination (Turner, Lecture Notes: 09/16) • Sociology • Communication • Critical Approach: How access creates power dynamics and hierarchies (Gorski) • Social Information Processing Theory (SIP) • Alternative cues online • Interpersonal

15. Proposed research plan • Create a virtual world, pooled from a diverse college community • Initial questionnaire to gather demographics of participants • Avatars are linked to participants by number • Introduce provocative avatars and scenarios • Experiment • Qualitative Analysis: Interviews

16. Conclusion