Not My Type
Automating Sexual Racism in Online Dating
Published on 6. February 2024
268 pages
978-1-5036-3761-0 (ISBN)
Description
In the world of online dating, race-based discrimination is not only tolerated, but encouraged as part of a pervasive belief that it is simply a neutral, personal choice about one's romantic partner. Indeed, it is so much a part of our inherited wisdom about dating and romance that it actually directs the algorithmic infrastructures of most major online dating platforms, such that they openly reproduce racist and sexist hierarchies. In Not My Type: Automating Sexual Racism in Online Dating, Apryl Williams presents a socio-technical exploration of dating platforms' algorithms, their lack of transparency, the legal and ethical discourse in these companies' community guidelines, and accounts from individual users in order to argue that sexual racism is a central feature of today's online dating culture. She discusses this reality in the context of facial recognition and sorting software as well as user experiences, drawing parallels to the long history of eugenics and banned interracial partnerships. Ultimately, Williams calls for, both a reconceptualization of the technology and policies that govern dating agencies, and also a reexamination of sociocultural beliefs about attraction, beauty, and desirability.
Reviews / Votes
"[A] troubling investigation of structural racism in online dating platforms.... Williams's highly accessible narrative is made extra intriguing by the liberal inclusion of users' own words sharing their intimate thoughts."-Publishers Weekly "From the automation of white beauty standards to the chilling prevalence of racist abuse in private messages, Williams reveals the harms created when racism, technology, and romance interact."
-Angele Christin, author of Metrics at Work "This book changes how we think about the sociology of the 'real world' in dating by taking seriously the online world where so many of us find love forever or just right now. Apryl Williams shows us a new, better way to do digital sociology, and her writing makes for a compelling read."
-Jessie Daniels, author of Nice White Ladies "Not My Type is a timely, insightful book that demonstrates the importance of critical evaluations of Internet technology and its profound impact on individuals' everyday lives."-Sarah Adeyinka Skold, Sociology of Race and Ethnicity "Not My Type is an intriguing work that compellingly examines the importance of excavating the inherent Othering enabled by and proliferated through online dating platforms."-Golden M. Owens, Catalyst
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More details
Edition
New edition
Language
English
Place of publication
Palo Alto
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Edition type
New edition
Illustrations
5 tables, 10 figures, 10 halftones
ISBN-13
978-1-5036-3761-0 (9781503637610)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
02/2024
Stanford University Press
€26.50
Shipment within 15-20 days
Book
02/2024
Stanford University Press
€106.50
Available immediately
Persons
Apryl Williams is a jointly appointed Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan in the Department of Communication & Media and the Digital Studies Institute. She is also a Senior Fellow in Trustworthy AI at the Mozilla Foundation and a Faculty Associate at Harvard University's Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society. Her research has been published in Big Data & Society, Ethnicities, Sociology of Race and Ethnicity, and Social Media & Society, among others.
Content
Introduction
1. A New Sexual Racism?
2. Automating Sexual Racism
3. I'm Just Not Comfortable with Them: The Myth of Neutral Personal Preference
4. I've Always Wanted to Fuck a Black or Asian Woman: Being Racially Curated in the Sexual Marketplace
5. Safety Thirst: Who Gets to Be Safe While Dating Online?
Conclusion: All You Need Is Love (and Transparency, Trust, and Safety)
1. A New Sexual Racism?
2. Automating Sexual Racism
3. I'm Just Not Comfortable with Them: The Myth of Neutral Personal Preference
4. I've Always Wanted to Fuck a Black or Asian Woman: Being Racially Curated in the Sexual Marketplace
5. Safety Thirst: Who Gets to Be Safe While Dating Online?
Conclusion: All You Need Is Love (and Transparency, Trust, and Safety)
