Algorithms of Oppression

Algorithms of Oppression How Search Engines Reinforce Racism

As seen in Wired and Time A revealing look at how negative biases against women of color are embedded in search engine results and algorithms Run a Google search for “black girls”—what will you find? “Big Booty” and other sexually explicit terms are likely to come up as top search terms. But, if you type in “white girls,” the results are radically different. The suggested porn sites and un-moderated discussions about “why black women are so sassy” or “why black women are so angry” presents a disturbing portrait of black womanhood in modern society. In Algorithms of Oppression, Safiya Umoja Noble challenges the idea that search engines like Google offer an equal playing field for all forms of ideas, identities, and activities. Data discrimination is a real social problem; Noble argues that the combination of private interests in promoting certain sites, along with the monopoly status of a relatively small number of Internet search engines, leads to a biased set of search algorithms that privilege whiteness and discriminate against people of color, specifically women of color. Through an analysis of textual and media searches as well as extensive research on paid online advertising, Noble exposes a culture of racism and sexism in the way discoverability is created online. As search engines and their related companies grow in importance—operating as a source for email, a major vehicle for primary and secondary school learning, and beyond—understanding and reversing these disquieting trends and discriminatory practices is of utmost importance. An original, surprising and, at times, disturbing account of bias on the internet, Algorithms of Oppression contributes to our understanding of how racism is created, maintained, and disseminated in the 21st century. Safiya Noble discusses search engine bias in an interview with USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism
Sign up to use

Reviews

Photo of Lindy
Lindy@lindyb
2 stars
Apr 2, 2024
Photo of p.
p.@softrosemint
4 stars
May 27, 2023
Photo of ben wolfson
ben wolfson@birdbrain10
5 stars
May 7, 2022
Photo of Safiya
Safiya @safiya-epub
2 stars
Jan 25, 2022
Photo of Kar
Kar@karkar20
2 stars
Jan 14, 2024
Photo of Lizelle G
Lizelle G@lizelle
4 stars
Dec 28, 2023
Photo of Boothby
Boothby@claraby
5 stars
Apr 14, 2023
Photo of Taylor
Taylor@taylord
4 stars
Dec 15, 2022
Photo of Jason Skicewicz
Jason Skicewicz@jskitz
5 stars
Oct 25, 2022
Photo of Jonathan Grunert
Jonathan Grunert@jgrunert
4 stars
Oct 21, 2022
Photo of Gabriella Lanouette
Gabriella Lanouette@developergab
4 stars
Mar 24, 2022
Photo of Claudia Bennett
Claudia Bennett@claudiabennett
5 stars
Feb 24, 2022
Photo of Marlee Stark
Marlee Stark@smstark
5 stars
Jan 17, 2022
Photo of Archer
Archer@spiderkid
4 stars
Jan 16, 2022
Photo of Adam Aaronson
Adam Aaronson@aa
4 stars
Jan 4, 2022
Photo of Celine Nguyen ✿
Celine Nguyen ✿@celinenguyen
5 stars
Nov 11, 2021
Photo of Alina Shiotsu
Alina Shiotsu@yujatart
4 stars
Nov 9, 2021
Photo of erin s
erin s@sirissacgluten
4 stars
Nov 2, 2021
Photo of Teresa Schultz
Teresa Schultz@schauch
4 stars
Sep 14, 2021
Photo of Karolina
Karolina@fox
4 stars
Sep 14, 2021
Photo of Hidde
Hidde@hdv
3 stars
Aug 14, 2021