Contributed by: kellyseal on Wednesday, April 10 2024 @ 08:18 am
Last modified on Wednesday, April 10 2024 @ 09:00 am
Apryl Williams, Harvard sociologist and researcher who studies race, gender, and popular culture, has written a new book entitled Not My Type: Automating Sexual Racism in Online Dating.
According to Harvard News, the book is a blend of technical analysis, user interviews, and an “historical look at racism and romance in America,” and is a result of ten years of research.
Williams argues that algorithms in dating apps curate matches based on ranking attractiveness that is “racially informed.” In other words, algorithms match users with others who look like them, reinforcing racial stereotypes and feeding into the idea that certain groups are more attractive and appealing than others.
One example Harvard News[*1] points out is that people on dating apps often have racial preferences for their matches, further feeding the algorithmic bias. Williams points to a 2014 study by OkCupid which found that black women were among the least desirable women to match with on dating apps. And if they were included in match preferences, they were often fetishized.
She said in an interview: “Dating apps allow sexual racism to flourish because they rely on the white hetero normative standards of attraction, desirability, and gender aesthetics to perform the sorting and matching algorithms that we are so comfortable with these days.”
She continued: “But sexual racism existed long before dating platforms came to be. What dating apps do is automate sexual racism, making it hyper efficient and routine to swipe in racially curated sexual marketplaces.”
Notably, Williams met her spouse on dating app Tinder in 2021, so she is not advocating for people to leave dating apps, but to be aware of how they work and fight for more safety and inclusivity on these platforms.
Williams said that traditional pathways like meeting someone special at a grocery store or bookstore aren’t practical options anymore, and dating apps are now the main way people meet romantically, so dating app users should be aware of the algorithms and how they work, as well as how the platform gathers and uses personal data.
“Should the user break up with dating apps?” asked Williams. “I would say that the answer is no, but we should think about what they reflect to us. We should think about where our personal preferences come from, and ask if they’re neutral, or if they’re shaped by our larger culture.”