Over the past few months, I’ve noticed an uptick of racist posts being pushed to the top of my feed on various social media applications that I use. Primarily, Instagram.

As much as I like to think I’m a privacy freak, this app is my one vice. I think Meta knows pretty much everything about me, including my full name, where I study, my race, the languages I speak, and my religion. I suppose extracting that information was pretty trivial.

I somewhat remember the 2016(?) Cambridge Analytica scandal when Meta (then Facebook) was embroiled in a lawsuit that involved its platform being used by a British firm to harvest user information to influence elections (if I remember correctly, the 2016 election of DJT was bolstered by such tactics). Of course, it is pretty obvious that Social Media platforms amplify fringe content because the running currency is engagement, but I thought it would be more subtle.

As someone of Indian descent, it frustrates me is that it is socially acceptable to be racist to indians online. Some of the posts include some of the most vile epithets thrown around (as well as the classic curry muncher). And often times it’s not even content related to the subcontinent or the people living there. Other times, it’s white supremacist content, emboldened by the current U.S Administration’s actions.

I suppose I could take a more charitable view of these unfortunate content recommendations, and assume that said platform wants me to be kept up to date and actively engaged, but I am less inclined to do that given the lack of moderation on the website. It seems more like a ploy to maintain engagement through rage-baiting users.

Well, there ends my lukewarm take on racism on social media. I willingly use racism app, and racism app likes to promote racism to users. I don’t know if I want to stop using racism app. It’s like crack.

Footnotes:

• Writing this while watching a random Sci-Fi movie (Lucy)
  • plot is bonkers