Should Social Networking Sites Collect Ethnic Information?

Now, I’m a big Morgan Freeman fan, but on this particular issue, I couldn’t disagree with him more.  I think we need to keep talking about race. If anything, we’re not talking about it enough, at least not about the things that really matter, like say educational inequities, health disparities, and our racially biased criminal justice system.

I’m hardly alone in this point of view.  Here for example is an excerpt from the American Sociological Association’s official statement on this topic, titled The Importance of Collecting Data and Doing Social Scientific Research on Race:

Some scientists and policymakers now contend that research using the concept of race perpetuates the negative consequences of thinking in racial terms. Others argue that measuring differential experiences, treatment, and outcomes across racial categories is necessary to track disparities and to inform policymaking to achieve greater social justice.

The American Sociological Association (ASA), an association of some 13,000 U.S. and international sociologists, finds greater merit in the latter point of view. Sociological scholarship on “race” provides scientific evidence in the current scientific and civic debate over the social consequences of the existing categorizations and perceptions of race; allows scholars to document how race shapes social ranking, access to resources, and life experiences; and advances understanding of this important dimension of social life, which in turn advances social justice. Refusing to acknowledge the fact of racial classification, feelings, and actions, and refusing to measure their consequences will not eliminate racial inequalities. At best, it will preserve the status quo.

The ASA statement pretty much sums it enough for me.  Since when has ignoring a social problem made it go away?  Is there even one historical example of social change that was achieved, not by activism and struggle but by pretending the problem wasn’t there?

To be sure, it is unlikely that we will ever associate Facebook, Twiiter, and Linkedin with racially progressive scholarship, but having these data available to social scientists would allow large-scale modeling of a variety of different online behaviors, including social networks.  As just one example, access to racial data would allow social scientists to better understand what contributes to racial segregation and, in turn, better understand the factors that might predispose racial inclusion.  With access to data, the possibilities for greater understanding and, ultimately, for social change, are limited only by our imagination. Without the data, we are left to wonder and, perhaps, to assume that virtual communities don’t have the same racial dynamics and prejudices as the real world.  They do, of course — online communities show the same patterns of racial segregation as are observed off line — a fact that we know only because we have some racial data from the social media sites.

There is, I admit, some trust involved in taking this perspective.  We have to trust the social media sites not to use the data for nefarious purposes. Given our nation’s history, I can certainly see why some may be reluctant to do so.  And yet, we do have laws protecting against discrimination and, laws aside, one can reasonably assume that the social media sites are profit-oriented and that they are more likely to increase profits by creating and maintaining a racially inclusive platform.

Ultimately, of course, though we can make reasonable guesses, we cannot be certain what the social media sites will do with the information.  Racial data are a tool. Like any tool or bit of information, there is always the possibility that it may be misused.  I get that. But even so, despite Morgan Freeman’s claim to the contrary, this is not actually a morally ambiguous question.  We live in a society in which race impacts people’s lives in ways both profound and mundane. To ignore this reality, to pretend that it didn’t exist or that its existence is not worth tracking and studying is to invalidate not just the experiences but the very lives of millions of Americans. Personally, I’d much rather see them as they are.

Social Media Networks. Knowing the ethnic makeup of one’s user base would generate a competitive advantage and thus higher revenues for any site. As the number of businesses like those mentioned above (those that actually “get it”) begins to increase after the unveiling of the 2010 Census (when we all learn, again, that population growth in this country is being driven by the multicultural segments that will become the majority by 2042 or sooner), more and more advertising dollars will be allocated to those sites that reflect and provide access to the new multicultural America in a way that allows brands to generate a deeper connection.

The World Macro (Us in Aggregate). Having ethnic information would be extremely elucidating for us all, as it would provide a truer picture of who we are. Even within ethnic segments, there is no one consumer and an individual’s web experiences are such pure forms of uninhibited interests, hobbies, etc., that the truths revealed from watching online behavior would help break down incorrect assumptions and paint a much more diverse representation of “stuff Black people (and all other people) like.”

The World Micro (Us as Individual Users of Social Media). From the consumer standpoint, collecting ethnic information is both a blessing and a curse. On the positive side, it would save individual consumers time and money as businesses are better able to deliver messages, products and services that fit their specific ethnic needs and realities. On the other hand, collecting ethnic information could be problematic – a landmine social media networks would do best to avoid. These sites have already set a precedent of not asking for our ethnic information, and to change midstream could generate a major backlash as consumers grow more protective of their digital profiles (look at what happens every time Facebook changes something regarding privacy and profiles – now imagine race as the topic. . . you get the picture!) and weary of how “big brother” uses their personal information, even if it’s ultimately for their own benefit.  In addition, asking now may specifically damage trust between these social media sites and multicultural users, who are already skeptical of major organizations and institutions This very public adjustment (there would be no hiding it) would prompt multicultural users to question what’s changed to make their ethnicity so important all of a sudden. This, on the heels of a growing sentiment that multicultural behavior in social media is not to be studied because they use social media just like everybody else (see my response to the Farhad Manjoo article).

And it is this final thought – the potential backlash from consumers – that leads me to the recommendation that, despite the wealth of benefits for all involved, established social media sites should not collect ethnic information. It’s unfortunate, but they just may be too late to the game to ask us now to “check the ethnic box.” The recommendation changes, however, for any new and upcoming social media site that has the ability to do it right from the start and, in turn, build a competitive advantage. In this instance, I suggest they offer users the option to submit their ethnicity when they create their profile, along with an additional option on whether or not this information is displayed.

The fact is that social networks, like the culture more broadly, discourage racial or ethnic identification. Instead, in the current era of “color blindness” people are told that it’s “not polite” to mention race.

What polite colorblindness covers up, though, is the assumption that everyone’s white until they say otherwise. At a recent blogging conference I attended, an African American woman told the story of being online for years before anyone knew she was black. Why? Because her name is “Heather” and people just assumed she was white.

Does this assumption of whiteness matter? It does if your experience puts you outside white identity and you’re looking for your own likeness in popular culture.

As just one, small example, I’m a big women’s basketball fan of both the college and professional teams. And, I especially love watching a sport where black women excel. But, when it’s “March Madness” (college ball) or the summer during the WNBA season, it’s almost impossible to find mainstream news coverage of my favorite teams because ESPN and my local news outlets are filled with wall-to-wall coverage of the mens’ teams. When I do manage to find a WNBA game on television, it’s always a little startling to see the ads because they’re geared toward a black female audience. When I see those ads, I’m reminded once more how white and male-centric the rest of the culture is.

One of the great things about social networks is that people create their own images and can adjust that skewed, mainstream lens. It’s part of what I enjoy about social networks like Twitter. In these spaces, I can connect with people from racial and ethnic backgrounds that are different than my own who have a different take on the dominant culture. But what I’ve learned online is a lesson that many of us learned offline, too – that racial identity doesn’t necessarily map onto political views or marketing preferences.

Allowing social media to collect data on the ethnicity of users who self identify, not only benefits companies which data is being collected for – marketing of a product, focus group testing on messaging, research on diverse talent recruitment for corporations – but it empowers users of diverse background from whom information is being sought. Marketers Take Note: Advocating for the collection of users’ ethnicities in social media also lends said users’ a powerful voice to review information from which opinions are formed and reactions are generated–then amplified.

One of social media’s many advantages lies in its ability to form instant networks of like-minded individuals whose passions, education, interests, issues (and businesses!) fully align with others. Therefore, the more data that is collected, sliced, and diced a hundred different ways, the higher the probability users themselves will navigate the system for their own business interests. An African-American marketing freelancer in NYC might easily find a freelancer via LinkedIn in St. Louis to partner with on a crowdsourcing opportunity for a major brand product. A Latina owned public relations firm might identify a fresh crop of recent Hispanic engineering graduates from throughout the country to develop a speakers’ bureau on the importance of Latinos in S.T.E.M. fields for a client. Asian-American bloggers can quickly research Facebook pages for other Asian-American bloggers for the purpose of cross collaboration and business development.

The opportunities are endless. However, one thing is certain. A “checked” box sends a clear signal–I am present.

Other cultures would also probably react differently to the possibility of entering information on ethnicity. Some may indeed use this information in ways that would be considered inappropriate to others. Discrimination can be nuanced and perceived in different degrees by different people.

So although as a multicultural marketer I think it is a great idea, it’s something that would have to be integrated intelligently for a seamless integration worldwide.