Austin360 blogs > Digital Savant > Archives > 2009 > March > 15 > Entry
SXSW Panel: Can Social Media End Racism?
Date/Time: Sunday, 11:30 a.m.
Panelists: Kety Esquivel, New Media Mgr. for NCLR; Jay Smooth, creator of Ill Doctrine; Phil Yu, creator of Angry Asian Man; Latoya Peterson, Editrix at Racialicious.com
The gist: Social media on its own won’t wipe out racism, but is a powerful tool that can bring people together to combat stereotypes, spread correct information and advance the efforts of all minority groups.
“If (social media) was the magic button that can instantly correct thousands of years of racism, we would’ve pushed it a long time ago,” said Smooth, who is also a radio DJ.
The specter of racism is one of the main reasons bloggers and Web admins need to stay vigilant about policing comments and directions of discussion. Yu doesn’t allow comments on his blog and Esquivel said NCLR doesn’t either, though other blogs she’s worked with have received death threats that have been prosecuted by the FBI.
Quotes: When panelists were discussing the personal incident of online racism that most stuck out in their heads, Smooth let fly this bon mot; “Each racist comment is a snowflake that is unique and special in its own way. And every YouTube comments section is a blizzard.”
Takeaways: There are three effective ways to reduce or remove racism online:
- Spread knowledge, so you invite people into a discussion and they can carry that knowledge into the physical world and elsewhere on the blogosphere.
- Provide a refuge, so visitors feel comfortable participating in a discussion without fear of racial or gender intimidation and reprisal.
- Mobilize your base, so when real-world incidents such as the Jena 6 controversy flare up, users can take action, spread dialogue and do whatever possible to advance the discussion of racism in a constructive way.
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