Accompany me – using a virtual learning companion to inform adolescents in Germany about everyday racism on social media
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21190974 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Johanna Börsting (0000-0002-2038-2443, Ruhr West University of Applied Sciences, corresponding author), Veronica Schwarze (0000-0002-5973-6114, Ruhr West University of Applied Sciences), Farbod Aprin (0000-0002-8602-426X, Rhine-Ruhr Institute for Applied Systeminnovation), Nils Malzahn (0000-0002-9672-6230, Rhine-Ruhr Institute for Applied Systeminnovation), H Ulrich Hoppe (0000-0003-3240-5785, Rhine-Ruhr Institute for Applied Systeminnovation), Sabrina C Eimler (0000-0001-8944-2814, Ruhr West University of Applied Sciences) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 19 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 518-537 |
| Publication date | 2025-07-03 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Children and Media (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1748-2798 • E-ISSN: 1748-2801 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/17482798.2024.2440603 |
| OpenAlex | W4405634824 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 27 |
Social media offer valuable benefits ranging from social exchange to entertainment. However, everyday racism is also part of many users’ daily social media experience. Unlike overt racist attacks such as name-calling or humiliation, everyday racism often manifests in subtle, unconscious assumptions and remarks that may initially appear harmless but can be deeply hurtful to those affected. As everyday racism often appears “hidden,” there is a lack of sophisticated approaches to raise awareness of everyday racism on social media. Related research has shown that virtual learning companions (VLCs) can support users in various digital contexts. Therefore, we consider a VLC for raising awareness and informing users about everyday racism on social media, with the aim to improve their ability to recognize everyday racism. In the long term, this should empower users to actively counteract everyday racism, by reporting posts that reflect discriminatory content. Results from an experimental study (N = 100; participants aged 13 to 16) indicate that prior experiences of discrimination and exclusion impair users’ ability to recognize everyday racism accurately in social media posts. Repeatedly addressing everyday racism increased performances in detecting it. This paper discusses practical implications for the use of VLCs and ethical considerations
Everyday life · Political science · Racism · Social media · Sociology · World Wide Web · Child Development and Digital Technology · Computer Science · Gender Studies · Impact of Technology on Adolescents · Psychology · Social Media and Politics · Social Psychology
Understanding Everyday Racism
Social Media Elements, Ecologies, and Effects
They Came, They Liked, They Commented
Digital Technology Use and Cyberbullying Among Primary School Children
Fighting fake news on social media
Motivations of online and offline activism against racism and xenophobia among Asian-American publics during the Covid-19 pandemic
Social media literacy & adolescent social online behavior in Germany
Handbook of Prejudice, Stereotyping, and Discrimination
Understanding behavior to understand behavior change
The Social Media Privacy Model
Anti-immigration and racist discourse in social media
Transitions between subclasses of bullying and victimization when entering middle school
Taking the good with the bad
Exposure to Social Media Racial Discrimination and Mental Health among Adolescents of Color
Changing Aids-risk behavior
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |