North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC.
Rutgers University - New Brunswick, Piscataway, NJ.
Ethn Dis. 2021 May 20;31(Suppl 1):311-318. doi: 10.18865/ed.31.S1.311. eCollection 2021.
Anti-Black racism is an established social determinant of racial health disparities in the United States. Although the majority of research on racism examines in-person individual-level experiences, a majority of Americans engage online and may therefore be exposed to racism directly or indirectly in online contexts. Research suggests that the structural technological features of online contexts may be especially powerful in perpetuating and enacting racism, often in inconspicuous or automated ways. However, there is a paucity of literature that articulates how structural online racism may be an important catalyst for racial health disparities, despite emerging evidence of racism embedded in our technological infrastructures. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to articulate the basis for investigating online racism as a form of structural racism with growing implications for racial health disparities in the digital age. We first define the structural features of online settings that generate and reinforce inequities among racial groups in the United States. Next, we propose a conceptual model detailing potential mechanisms through which structural online racism may translate into racial health disparities. Finally, we discuss ways in which exposures to online racism could be measured in order to capture their structural nature. Implications and future directions for research on online racism as a form of structural racism and corresponding policy for the reduction of racial health disparities are highlighted.
反黑人种族主义是美国种族健康差异的既定社会决定因素。尽管大多数关于种族主义的研究都考察了个人层面的亲身经历，但大多数美国人都在网上参与，因此可能会在网上环境中直接或间接地接触到种族主义。研究表明，网络环境的结构性技术特征可能在延续和实施种族主义方面特别强大，通常是以不显眼或自动化的方式。然而，尽管有越来越多的证据表明种族主义存在于我们的技术基础设施中，但关于结构性网络种族主义如何成为导致种族健康差异的重要催化剂的文献却很少。因此，本文的目的是阐述将网络种族主义作为一种结构性种族主义形式进行研究的基础，因为它在数字时代对种族健康差异产生了越来越大的影响。我们首先定义了在线环境中的结构性特征，这些特征在美国的不同种族群体之间产生和加剧了不平等。接下来，我们提出了一个概念模型，详细说明了结构性网络种族主义可能转化为种族健康差异的潜在机制。最后，我们讨论了如何衡量接触网络种族主义的方式，以便捕捉其结构性。强调了将网络种族主义作为一种结构性种族主义形式进行研究以及制定相应政策以减少种族健康差异的意义和未来方向。
