A new study shows that black students are more likely to feel discriminated against online.
The study, conducted by Brendesha M. Tynes of the University of Illinois and Suzanne L. Markoe of UCLA, asked more than 200 African-American and European-American students about race on campus and race via social networking.
The Chronicle of Higher Education breaks down the results:
The study found that the black students spent more time online than their white peers and had more diverse contact online. But black students reported higher rates of online victimization and more negative racial climate on their campuses.
Ms. Tynes said online discrimination can be as simple as viewing a racist picture posted on Facebook, and the impact on students can be depression and anxiety. She also said the amount of hateful speech directed at African-Americans has risen sharply since the election of President Barack Obama.
Tynes told the Chronicle that it was "possible that negative online interaction outweighs the positive."
A previous study done by the professors found that white students tend to have "colorblind" feelings toward race -- if shown a racially disturbing image, they are less likely to be bothered because they feel that societal racial disparities should not be an issue in the first place.
What do you think of these findings?