Chanda Burrage, Sept 16, 2022
I’m being watched. I can feel it. Someone is tracking every step I take and every move I make. They’re watching my every move and judging me. I know because they’ve made it clear on social media.
They’ve posted pictures of me, tagged me in posts, and even put GPS tracking on my phone, so they can see where I am at all times. It’s infuriating and violating, but what can I do?
I’ve tried to talk to the police, but they won’t help me. They say they can do nothing because tracking someone like this is not technically illegal. So I’m stuck, fearing that someone is always watching and judging me.
– an anonymously made-up story … but unfortunately too real.
Scary, right?
I hope this is not your reality. But at the same time, it’s increasingly affecting many of us.
From social media to GPS tracking, our lives are increasingly digitized. This has several implications for black women, disproportionately targeted by surveillance and exclusionary practices. In this post, I’ll explore some of how digital geographies can be used to control and dispossess black women.
Online Surveillance
The use of digital technologies to track and control black women’s movements is a growing problem. GPS tracking devices are being used to monitor the whereabouts of black women on parole and probation, while social media is being used to stalk and harass them. In both cases, these technologies are used to control black women’s bodies and movements.
As digital natives, Black women have always been at the forefront of using technology to create and cultivate our own spaces. From blogs and social media platforms to digital research databases, we have used the internet as a tool to connect with other Black women across the globe and create a sense of community. In recent years, there has been a growing body of scholarship examining how social media and online content are implicated in the collective, resistant, and transnational media experiences of Black women.
A Sobande et al. (2019) study contributes to that scholarship by examining the tensions between the countercultural, communal, and commercial qualities of Black women’s online experiences. Drawing from a theory of the oppositional spectator gaze of Black women and narratives of technology consumption, they unpack how Black women’s digital activity can enable them to navigate the hegemony of US content, their marginalization in British mass media, and situate them within a Black experience that transcends Britain’s borders.
Sobande’s work illustrates how digital spaces can provide opportunities for Black women- across the globe – to resist dominant media narratives and create their own representational spaces.
Digital Divide
In addition to being targeted by surveillance, black women are disproportionately affected by the “digital divide.” This refers to the gap between those with access to technology and those without access. Black women are more likely to live in poverty than white women, and a lack of access to technology can further exacerbate economic inequality.
Telemedicine, for example, has produced comparable health outcomes regarding patient-doctor communication and customer satisfaction and engagement (Claire, 2021). The digital divide has exacerbated social and economic concerns that restrict people’s access to good health. As a result, it’s believed to be a social determinant of health.
Such issues as decreased internet connectivity and a lack of Wi-Fi and video chat/webcam in both urban and rural areas can hinder the effectiveness of telehealth to its full capability, especially among communities of color, the poor, and the medically underserved. The social aspects of providing health care by physicians and healthcare workers combat mistrust and strengthen the physician-patient therapeutic relationship.
Addressing policy changes is necessary so that digital tools support rather than worsen existing inequalities related to social determinants of health. Barriers created by the digital divide must end so that everyone can access equitable telehealth services. We must close the digital divide!
Eminent Domain
Finally, digital geographies can also be used to dispossess black women of their land and property. For example, “eminent domain” laws allow the government to seize private property for “public use.” This has often been used to displace black homeowners in favor of gentrification plans. In other cases, black women have had their land taken away without compensation through fraudulent schemes such as ” deed theft.”
According to Fullilove (2007), the eminent domain abuse committed by the government under the Federal Housing Act of 1949 has devastated the African American community. By displacing 1 million black people from their homes, eminent domain contributed to creating vast urban spaces that were segregated and economically disadvantaged. This spatial divide continues to have ripple effects today, as black communities suffer from higher poverty rates and unemployment.
Dr. Fullilove’s study is a powerful reminder of how government policy can be used to perpetuate racial injustice. It is essential for anyone who wants to understand the origins of the modern-day black-white divide.
Bottom Line
Digital geographies can surveil, control, and dispossess black women. GPS tracking devices and social media are being used to track our movements, while the digital divide exacerbates economic inequality. We must be aware of these dangers and fight back against them.
Follow me for more on Instagram @Sisruptr and Twitter @chandaburrage
References
Clare, C.A. Telehealth and the digital divide as a social determinant of health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Netw Model Anal Health Inform Bioinforma 10, 26 (2021).
Fullilove, M. T. (2007). Eminent Domain & African Americans. Institute for Justice, Arlington, VA.
Sobande, F., Fearfull, A., & Brownlie, D. (2020). Resisting media marginalization: Black women’s digital content and collectivity. Consumption markets & culture, 23(5), 413-428.
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