April 1, 2021 — If you run “Black girls” through a search engine, what sorts of results do you get? Are they sexualized? Derogatory? Do search engines on the internet really provide a level playing field for all?
The author of the 2021 CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) Campus Reading Celebration selection argues that they do not.
“Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism,” by Safiya Umoja Noble, Ph.D., explains how a 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 discriminate against people of color — specifically women of color, and promote white privilege.
The public and CSUCI campus are invited to read the book and join in the virtual discussion on Wednesday, April 7 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The event is free, but registration is required
Noble is an Associate Professor and Co-Founder and Co-Director of the UCLA Center for Critical Internet Inquiry at UCLA. She is a graduate of CSU Fresno.
CSUCI faculty and staff organizers of the Campus Reading Celebration say they chose this selection because of the current unrest in the U.S. around issues of race. They hope that the book illuminates some unseen ways in which sexism and racism might be hidden in our lives within things we usually see as benign.
Visit the Campus Reading Celebration website for additional details.