Anti-Black Structural Racism Goes Online: A Conceptual Model for Racial Health Disparities Research

Anti-Black racism is an established social determinant of racial health disparities in the United States. Although the majority of research on racism examines in-person individual-level experiences, a majority of Americans engage online and may therefore be exposed to racism directly or indirectly in online contexts. Research suggests that the structural technological features of online contexts may be especially powerful in perpetuating and enacting racism, often in inconspicuous or automated ways. However, there is a paucity of literature that articulates how structural online racism may be an important catalyst for racial health disparities, despite emerging evidence of racism embedded in our technological infrastructures. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to articulate the basis for investigating online racism as a form of structural racism with growing implications for racial health disparities in the digital age. We first define the structural features of online settings that generate and reinforce inequities among racial groups in the United States. Next, we propose a conceptual model detailing potential mechanisms through which structural online racism may translate into racial health disparities. Finally, we discuss ways in which exposures to online racism could be measured in order to capture their structural nature. Implications and future directions for research on online racism as a form of structural racism and corresponding policy for the reduction of racial health disparities are highlighted.