Skip to main content

ETHNOS_APP

Home • Search • Journals • List 0

Where Platform Capitalism and Racial Capitalism Meet

The Sociology of Race and Racism in the Digital Society

Bibliographic Data

ID2423275
AuthorsTressie Mcmillan Cottom (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, corresponding author)
Year2020
Volume6
Issue4
Pages441-449
Publication date2020-10-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSociology of Race and Ethnicity (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2332-6492 • E-ISSN: 2332-6506
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/2332649220949473
OpenAlexW3092302198
LanguageEN
Citations received144
References cited48

The study of race and racism in the digital society must produce theoretically distinct and robust formulations of Internet technologies as key characteristics of the political economy. The author puts forth racial capitalism as a coherent framework for this research agenda. The argument for racial capitalism draws on two examples of its engagement with two characteristics of the digital society: obfuscation as privatization and exclusion by inclusion. Internet technologies are now a totalizing sociopolitical regime and should be central to the study of race and racism

Argument (complex analysis · Capitalism · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Race (biology · Racism · Social science · Sociology · The Internet · Computer Science · Digital Economy and Work Transformation · Gender Studies · Gender, Feminism, and Media · Law · Social Media and Politics

  • Commercial entanglements and online visibility

    Open Access•Alexis Walker, Hanna Goldberg•Public Understanding of Science•2026

  • Black Technological Thought in the Civil Rights Era

    Open Access•Anabella Afra Boateng•Sociological Forum•2026

  • Unruly Curly Hair

    Open Access•Katie Duarte•Sociological Perspectives•2026

  • Beyond the Gig

    Open Access•Pierre Brasseur•British Journal of Sociology•2026

  • “I Do It for the ’Gram and Do It for Myself”

    Open Access•Michael L Thomas•Amerikastudien/American Studies•2022

  • Tamaño y difusión. Construcciones antirracistas en alta resolución para medios peruanos

    Open Access•Augusto Pavel Solís López•Conexión•2021

  • O papel das mulheres afro-americanas pela luta antirracista

    Open Access•Cláudia Aparecida Avelar Ferreira•Revista Movimentos Sociais e…•2021

  • These Girls (Strip) for the Clout

    Open Access•Joel M Evans, Jabari Miles Evans•AoIR Selected Papers of Internet…•2023

  • Analyzing the Platform Economy – Feudalism, Medievalism and Colonialism as Useful Frameworks

    Open Access•Jakob Linaa Jensen, Benedetta Brevini et al.•AoIR Selected Papers of Internet…•2021

  • Life is (Not) a Game

    Open Access•Luigi di Cataldo, Federica Cabras•Cambio Rivista sulle Trasformazioni…•2025

  • Intersectional and historical contingencies in racial capitalism

    Tess Wise•Politics Groups and Identities•2026

  • « T’es intelligent pour un arabe ! »Auto-ethnographie d’un corps colonisé

    Open Access•Marc Jahjah•Itinéraires•2022

  • Policing violent extremism online

    Open Access•Angus Lindsay•Critical Studies on Terrorism•2026

  • Rethinking the educational ecology in the wake of Covid

    Open Access•Wesley Edwards, Kevin Russel Magill•Policy Futures in Education•2023

  • Exposing the mess in the online kitchen

    Open Access•Emmelle Israel•Convergence The International…•2024

  • Platformed solidarity

    Open Access•Tim Highfield, Kate M Miltner•Convergence The International…•2023

  • Segmented Information, Segregated Outcomes

    Chris L He, Chris Hess et al.•Housing Policy Debate•2023

  • Racialisation in flux

    Open Access•Salman Khan•Environment and Planning D…•2026

  • The Internet as a social institution

    Open Access•Gina Marie Longo•Family Relations•2023

  • The Platformization of Writing Instruction

    Open Access•Amy Stornaiuolo, Jennifer Higgs et al.•Review of Research in Education•2023

  • Democratizing Creative Early Educational Experiences

    Open Access•Mariana Souto-Manning, Abby C Emerson et al.•Review of Research in Education•2022

  • The Making of the “Good Bad” Job

    Open Access•Lindsey D Cameron•Administrative Science Quarterly•2024

  • Spatial and temporal implications of the platformization of work in the logistics chain

    Open Access•Francisco Fernández-Trujillo, Pablo López Calle•Digital Geography and Society•2025

  • Desiloization and its discontents

    Open Access•Nanna Bonde Thylstrup, Matthew Archer et al.•Information Communication & Society•2024

  • Algorithmic discrimination

    Open Access•Matthew Bui, Charlton D Mcilwain et al.•Information Communication & Society•2026

  • Performing Eurasianness, Chineseness, and cosmopolitanism as racialized digital labor

    Xinxin Jiang•Information Communication & Society•2024

  • The decolonial turn in data and technology research

    Open Access•N Couldry, Ulises A Mejias•Information Communication & Society•2023

  • Running bodies, raced landscapes

    Open Access•Tanja Bosch•Leisure Studies•2026

  • Capitalism in the Platform Age

    Open Access•Sandro Mezzadra, Mezzadra et al.•Capitalism in the Platform Age•2024

  • Social exclusion as a side effect of machine learning mechanisms

    Open Access•A G Tertyshnikova, U O Pavlova et al.•Digital sociology•2023

  • Afro-pessimism and a posthuman sociology

    Open Access•George Weddington•Dialogues in sociology•2026

  • Virtual enchantment

    Open Access•Mai Ibrahim•Convergence The International…•2026

  • Structured Absence

    Open Access•A Nelson•Social Media + Society•2026

  • FeministAI at Work

    Open Access•Zhisheng Chen•Gender Work and Organization•2026

  • Aquilombamento , Entrepreneurial Black Placemaking in an Anti-Black City

    Open Access•D M Murphy•Sociology of Race and Ethnicity•2022

  • Sociology of Race and Ethnicity , Onward

    Open Access•B Brian Foster, James M Thomas•Sociology of Race and Ethnicity•2022

  • Racial Capitalism and the Propaganda of Conservative Economics

    Open Access•Prentiss A Dantzler, J Hackworth•Journal of Black Studies•2025

  • Real Estate Platforms, the Housing Search Process, and Racial Residential Stratification

    Open Access•Elizabeth Korver-Glenn, Hannah Lee et al.•Race and Social Problems•2024

  • "Dinámicas de (in)visibilidad de personas "chilenas-asiáticas

    Open Access•C Chan, María Montt Strabucchi•Cuadernos de antropología social•2023

  • Mapping the relationship between journalistic discourse, tech industry layoffs, and artificial intelligence

    Open Access•Anne Herfurth, Jessica Maddox•New Media & Society•2026

  • What the facebook files tell us about racial capitalism

    Open Access•Sareeta Amrute•interactions•2022

  • Identity, positioning, and platforms

    Open Access•Jennifer D'haem Kobrin•Journal of Adolescent & Adult…•2024

  • Intersectional understandings of the role and meaning of platform-mediated work in the pandemic Swedish welfare state

    Open Access•Natasha A Webster, Q F Zhang•Digital Geography and Society•2021

  • Platforms mediating domestic care work as service gigs in European cities

    Open Access•A Strüver•Digital Geography and Society•2024

  • The urban-tech feedback loop

    Open Access•Dillon Mahmoudi, Anthony M Levenda et al.•Digital Geography and Society•2024

  • Assessing Racial Disparities in Crowdfunding Donations Through an Experimental Survey

    Open Access•Ellen Whitehead, Brianna Lopez et al.•Social Currents•2025

  • Varieties and similarities of platform capitalisms

    Open Access•José Soeiro, Kenzo Soares Seto et al.•Frontiers in Sociology•2025

  • Forging Relatability Through Identity Bricolage

    Open Access•Siyu Chen•Social Media + Society•2026

  • Angry Black femmes and the affective economy of digital blackface

    Open Access•Cienna Davis•Communication Culture and Critique•2026

  • Delivering difference

    Open Access•H Johnston, Yana Mommadova et al.•Cambridge Journal of Regions…•2023

  • Gender and innovation through an intersectional lens

    Open Access•Ethel L Mickey, Laurel Smith-Doerr•Sociology Compass•2022

  • Online discourse in the post‐ “new racism” era

    Open Access•Marcus A Brooks•Sociology Compass•2024

  • New tech, old exploitation

    Open Access•Lutfun Nahar Lata, Jasmine Burdon et al.•Sociology Compass•2022

  • Governance by Data

    Fleur Johns•Annual Review of Law and Social…•2021

  • Seeking Liberation

    Open Access•Roderic N Crooks, Roderic Crooks•Surveillance & Society•2022

  • Theorising technology in higher education internationalisation using deep mediatisation, actor-network theory and assemblage thinking

    Milad Mohebali, Nicholas R Stroup•Globalisation Societies and…•2022

  • Platform work as potential labour

    Gianmarco Peterlongo, Marco Marrone•Globalizations•2025

  • Navigating precarity. Theoretical insights into the intersection of digital platform work and migrant labour in the gig economy

    Giorgio Pirina, Giuliana Sanò•Globalizations•2025

  • Introduction

    Tony Porter, Netina Tan•Globalizations•2022

  • Platform-mediated racialization

    Open Access•Shichang Duan, Shanshan Lan•New Media & Society•2025

  • Web3 and deep play

    Open Access•Saskia Witteborn•New Media & Society•2025

  • The influencer pay gap

    Open Access•Angèle Christin, Yingdan Lu•New Media & Society•2023

  • Platform capitalisms and platform cultures

    Open Access•M Steinberg, Lin Zhang et al.•International Journal of Cultural…•2024

  • White and gendered aesthetics and attitudes of #pandemicbaking and #quarantinebaking

    Open Access•F Sobande•European Journal of Cultural…•2024

  • Literacy, racial capitalism, and the politics of good feeling

    Roberto Santiago De Roock, Cynthia Lewis•Race Ethnicity and Education•2024

  • Education and racial capitalism

    Jessica Gerrard, Arathi Sriprakash et al.•Race Ethnicity and Education•2021

  • Unveiling whiteness

    Open Access•Charity P Scott, Nicole Leach•Administrative Theory & Praxis•2024

  • Navigating and resisting platform affordances

    Open Access•Helen M Rand, H M Stegeman•Gender Work and Organization•2023

  • Gender and Digital Platform Work During Turbulent Times

    Open Access•Melissa Langworthy, Yana Van Der Meulen Rodgers•Gender Work and Organization•2025

  • Elites of the Whorearchy —OnlyFans Creators’ Power, Identity and Sex Work Stigma Negotiation

    Open Access•Swana Schuchmann•Gender Work and Organization•2025

  • From Africa to Amazon.com

    Open Access•Paul S Ciccantell, Spencer Louis Potiker et al.•Critical Sociology•2025

  • On the exploitation of cooperating teachers of color

    Open Access•Mariana Souto-Manning•Teaching and Teacher Education•2022

  • Exceptionalist narratives and faceless clip art

    Open Access•Noreen Naseem Rodríguez, Michael G Brown et al.•Teaching and Teacher Education•2023

  • Contextualizing the rural in digital studies

    Open Access•Qian Zhang, Natasha A Webster et al.•Technology in Society•2023

  • Keep it Oakland

    Open Access•T Kneese•Media Culture & Society•2022

  • Media power in digital Asia

    Open Access•M Steinberg, Rahul Mukherjee et al.•Media Culture & Society•2022

  • Hardware and data in the platform era

    Open Access•Seyram Avle•Media Culture & Society•2022

  • Teacher Diversity as Interest Convergence? A Cautionary Note

    Open Access•Omar Davila•Labor Studies Journal•2024

  • Platformization of the informal garment sector in southern China

    Ran Ai•International Journal of…•2025

  • The Romantic Anti‐Capitalisms of Short‐Term Rental Hosting

    Open Access•Nina Medvedeva, Nina Afanasyevna Medvedeva•Antipode•2023

  • The Carceral Geographies of Platform Delivery Work

    Open Access•Vignesh Ramachandran•Antipode•2024

  • Citizen‐ rentier ‐ship

    Open Access•Émile Baril•Antipode•2024

  • To Become an Object Among Objects

    Open Access•Roberto Santiago De Roock•Reading Research Quarterly•2024

  • Eroding Inclusions and Expanding Exclusions

    Open Access•B Purkayastha•Sociological Bulletin•2023

  • The racial economy of Instagram

    Open Access•Sinéad O’connor•Transactions of the Institute of…•2023

  • Gentrification and the an/aesthetics of digital spatial capital in Canadian “platform cities”

    Open Access•Agnieszka Leszczynski, Vivian Kong•Canadian Geographies /…•2022

  • Reading Khaby Lame’s Silent Comedy as a Critique of Racial Capitalism on Tiktok

    Open Access•Jennalee Donian•Critical Arts•2026

  • Becoming serious young men

    Open Access•Shantanu Kulshreshth•Geoforum•2026

  • Race and Risk

    Open Access•Emily Rosamond•AoIR Selected Papers of Internet…•2023

  • Covert carcerality for “high‐income cheap labor

    Open Access•Rianka Roy•Sociological Forum•2024

  • The time-space-energy nexus in the gig economy

    Giorgio Pirina, F Della Puppa et al.•New Community•2024

  • Automating authenticity

    Thomas W L MacDonald•Economy and Society•2026

  • Vida y conflicto en la ciudad aumentada

    Open Access•Maurilio Pirone•Bajo el volcán. Revista del…•2023

  • Who shares? Participation in the sharing economy in the U.S

    Suzanne M Leland, Suzanne Leland et al.•Journal of Urban Affairs•2023

  • The affective politics of whiteness

    Jessie Daniels•Ethnic and Racial Studies•2025

  • Migration, Advanced Digital Technologies, and the Future of Work

    Open Access•Anna Triandafyllidou•International Migration Review•2026

  • Race and Social Media

    Open Access•Kathryn L Nutter‐pridgen•The Blackwell Encyclopedia of…•2024

  • The Western Far Right and Digital Technology

    Open Access•Bharath Ganesh•Sociology Compass•2025

  • Modes of Hospitality

    Open Access•Mathilde Dissing Christensen•Geoforum•2025

  • The Authoritarian Personality 2.0

    Moira Weigel•Polity•2022

  • Race for Profit

    Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, Janina Edwards•Race for Profit•2019

  • Distributed Blackness

    Open Access•André Brock, André Brock Jr•Distributed Blackness•2020

  • Capital in the Twenty-First Century

    Thomas Piketty•Capital in the Twenty-First Century•2017

  • Algorithms of Oppression

    Safiya Umoja Noble, Safiya Noble•Algorithms of Oppression•2020

  • Beyond the Hashtags

    Open Access•Deen Freelon, Charlton D Mcilwain et al.•SSRN Electronic Journal•2016

  • The Alternative Epistemologies of Data Activism

    Milan, Stefania Milan et al.•Digital Culture & Society•2016

  • The Social Life of DNA

    Alondra Nelson•The Social Life of DNA•2016

  • The Black Box Society

    Frank Pasquale•Black Box Society•2015

  • Technological Elites, the Meritocracy, and Postracial Myths in Silicon Valley

    Open Access•Safiya Umoja Noble, Safiya Noble et al.•Racism Postrace•2019

  • Racial Capitalism

    Open Access•W N L Pirtle•Health Education & Behavior•2020

  • The White Racial Frame

    Joe R Feagin•White Racial Frame•2020

  • Rethinking Racial Capitalism

    G Bhattacharyya•Rethinking Racial Capitalism•2018

  • Encoding Race, Encoding Class

    Open Access•Sareeta Amrute•Encoding Race, Encoding Class•2016

  • Racism Without Racists

    E Bonilla-Silva, Bonilla-Silva Eduardo•Racism Without Racists•2017

  • Racial Formation in the United States

    Michael Omi, Howard Winant•Racial Formation in the United…•2014

  • Prosumer Capitalism

    Open Access•George Ritzer•Sociological Quarterly•2015

  • Social media and policing

    Open Access•James P Walsh, Christopher D O’connor et al.•Sociology Compass•2019

  • Race and racism in Internet Studies

    Open Access•Jessie Daniels•New Media & Society•2013

  • Social Media Use in Organizations

    Jeffrey W Treem, Paul M Leonardi•Annals of the International…•2013

  • Predatory Inclusion and Education Debt

    Open Access•Louise Seamster, Raphaël Charron-Chénier•Social Currents•2017

  • Expropriation and Exploitation in Racialized Capitalism

    Nancy Fraser•Critical Historical Studies•2016

  • The big data divide and its consequences

    Open Access•Matthew T McCarthy•Sociology Compass•2016

  • Social Capital and Internet Use

    Open Access•Barbara Barbosa Neves•Sociology Compass•2013

  • Gang violence on the digital street

    Open Access•Desmond Upton Patton, Jeffrey Lane et al.•New Media & Society•2016

  • Oliver Cromwell Cox and the Historiography of the West

    Cedric J Robinson•Cultural Critique•1990

  • Three Aspects of Data Worlds

    Open Access•Jonathan Gray•Krisis | Journal for Contemporary…•2018

  • Social Capital

    Michael Woolcock, Devika Narayan•The World Bank Research Observer•2000

  • Algorithms as culture

    Open Access•N Seaver•Big Data & Society•2017

  • Feeling Race

    Open Access•Eduardo Bonilla-Silva•American Sociological Review•2019

  • Racial Capitalism

    Jodi Melamed, Jodi Melamed Jodi Melamed•Critical Ethnic Studies•2015

  • A Genealogy of Critical Race and Digital Studies

    Open Access•A M Hamilton•Sociology of Race and Ethnicity•2020

  • Liquid love? Dating apps, sex, relationships and the digital transformation of intimacy

    Open Access•Mitchell Hobbs, Stephen Owens et al.•Journal of Sociology•2017

  • Colorblind Racism and Institutional Actors' Explanations of Korean Immigrant Entrepreneurship

    Open Access•Tamara K Nopper•Critical Sociology•2010

  • Social Implications of the Internet

    P Dimaggio, Eszter Hargittai et al.•Annual Review of Sociology•2001

  • What Do Platforms Do? Understanding the Gig Economy

    Steven Peter Valla, Steven Valla et al.•Annual Review of Sociology•2020

  • Urban Mobility and Activity Space

    Kathleen A Cagney, Erin York Cornwell et al.•Annual Review of Sociology•2020

  • Technology, Work, and Family

    Ariane Ollier-Malaterre, J A Jacobs et al.•Annual Review of Sociology•2019

  • Credit, Debt, and Inequality

    R E Dwyer•Annual Review of Sociology•2018

  • Ferguson and the death of Michael Brown on Twitter

    R Ray, M Craig Brown et al.•Ethnic and Racial Studies•2017

Unique citing works144
Citations per year28,8
Citation span2021 - 2026 (6)
Citation velocitycurrent
Highly citedYes
Citation typesNeutral: 140
Ethnos_APP • Open Source Project • MIT License • Frontend v2.0.0 • Privacy and Cookies • API Documentation: api.ethnos.app/docs • API Source Code: GitHub • DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17049435 • Frontend Source Code: GitHub • DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17050053 • cruz.rio.br • Expectantes Misericordiae