Annenberg Conversations on Race: Technology and the Reproduction of Racial Inequity

Featuring Kadija Ferryman and Julia Ticona

The event has ended, but is available to watch on YouTube:

About the Conversation

This conversation will address technology and the reproduction of racial inequity. How does “big data” reinforce social disparities? Can artificial intelligence be mobilized towards social justice and positive social change? In what ways are new technologies gendered, racialized, and classed?

About the Speakers

Kadija Ferryman

Kadija Ferryman is a cultural anthropologist and bioethicist who studies the social, cultural, and ethical implications of health information technologies. Specifically, her research examines how genomics, digital medical records, artificial intelligence, and other technologies impact racial disparities in health. She is currently Industry Assistant Professor at New York University’s Tandon School of Engineering. Read more about Ferryman.

Julia Ticona

Julia Ticona is an assistant professor at the Annenberg School for Communication, where her research investigates the ways that digital communication technologies shape the meaning and dignity of precarious work. She uses qualitative methods to examine the role of mobile phones, algorithmic labor platforms, and data-intensive management systems in the construction of identity and inequality for low-wage workers. Read more about Ticona.

About Annenberg Conversations

A new series at the Annenberg School, Annenberg Conversations engage Communication research and scholarship on topical issues together with a wide variety of individuals outside of Annenberg — including academics, activists, artists, and many others. During the 2020-21 academic year, the topic will be race in America.

Annenberg Conversations on Race events are dialogues designed to examine the current state of anti-Black racism in various sectors of society. Each conversation will feature a member of the Annenberg Community together with one or more interlocutors from outside the school, drawing upon diverse perspectives, experiences, and expertise that highlight the role of communication and mass mediation in processes of racism and racialization.   

These conversations will provide space to speak and listen together to engage the myriad tensions and intersections of communication themes and racial formations.

Future conversations include:

• February 5: "Health, Wealth, and Racial Opportunity" — Kevin Ahmaad Jenkins and Shawnika Hull
• March 5: "Taking Race Seriously in Contemporary Content Distribution" — Jeanine D. Liburd, Maori Karmael Holmes, Jasmine E. Johnson, and Aymar Jean Christian
• April 2: "Re-imagining Connections between Academia and Activism" — Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor and Jessa Lingel