- we want to conceptualize technology as a manifestation of underlying social relations. therefore, tech is but merely a component of the superstructure; and its design reflects (whether deliberately or otherwise) existing racial relations. one can even argue that these relations are but a reflection of economic relations between whiteness and blackness.
- the "bias" in google search seems to highlight this viewpoint. the kind of ads that are placed for searches for black women reflect the economic disparity between them and other classes.
- at the same time, blaming the google "algorithm" for being "biased" is a stretch; it almost implies that an algorithm can have agency. if one considers the manner in which a search engine is designed, it is then obvious that it would reflect the cultural practices of the internet (and by extension the world) which it embeds. trying to deliberate debias the search engine, instead of attempting to fix the systemic racism and inequality is like trying to cure the symptom instead of the disease. of course, the argument might be made that the results of the search engine contribute to maintaining the social hierarchy, the article fails to provide any convincing examples of this phenomenon.