One of the panels I attended at SXSW was called "E-Race: Avatars, Anonymity & the Visualization of Identity." It looked at how racism plays out online, particularly in relation to avatars. A few notes from the talk which I found really (insert word other than interesting here).
1) Visible Racial Profiling. A study was conducted on Craigslist, in which ads selling an iPod were posted. In the ads, the photo of the product showed just the iPod and the hand holding it. One ad featured a white hand, one a black hand, and one a tattooed hand. Not only did the ad with the black hand receive 32% less offers than the white hand, but people tried to bargain more, offered lower prices, and even tried to barter objects.
2) Voice Activated Racism. Female gamers on Xbox Live are profiled by the sound of their voice. On that note, the panelist mentioned a blog called Fat, Ugly or Slutty, which allows female gamers to chronicle all the sexist comments they receive while playing. Definitely worth a look.
3) Racism Against Avatars. The whole point of avatars are to mask your true identity. But studies are consistently finding that a decision to choose a minority avatar exposes you to more hate. Even usernames that sound like minority names are targeted.
We think of online gaming as largely anonymous, yet these themes of racism still find their way in. On the flip side, the fact that perpetrators are also anonymous creates disinhibition, and an exacerbation of the problem.
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