Race After Technology by Ruha Benjamin Summary
Overview of Race After Technology
In "Race After Technology," Ruha Benjamin exposes how algorithms encode racism, creating a "New Jim Code" beneath tech's neutral facade. Required reading for understanding digital inequality, this groundbreaking work has become central to Black Lives Matter discussions on surveillance and systemic discrimination.
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Key takeaways
The Invisible Codes That Shape Our Lives
Imagine a beauty contest judged not by humans but by artificial intelligence-an algorithm selecting winners based on "objective" standards of beauty. When Beauty AI ran exactly this contest in 2016, the results were shocking: nearly all winners were white. This wasn't a glitch but a revelation of how machines learn to reproduce our existing prejudices. Welcome to the world of the "New Jim Code"-technologies that appear neutral or even beneficial while encoding and reproducing racial hierarchies. In an era where algorithms increasingly determine who gets jobs, loans, healthcare, and freedom, these digital systems aren't just reflecting our biases-they're amplifying them at unprecedented scale and speed. What makes this particularly troubling is how these technologies operate under a veneer of objectivity. When Facebook's algorithms reproduce racist patterns from users' behavior, or when Google's search results reinforce stereotypes, they're not neutral tools but active participants in perpetuating discrimination. The defining characteristic isn't just that they discriminate, but that they do so while claiming objectivity or even benevolence, often under the guise of efficiency and innovation. Why does this matter? Because Silicon Valley's "Move Fast and Break Things" ethos raises a critical question: what about the people broken in the process? When a woman with a tumor is denied a bank loan because an algorithm flags her as high risk, or when facial recognition systems consistently fail to identify people of color, we see how technology can encode human judgments and societal biases in ways that fundamentally reshape access and opportunity.
When Discrimination Gets Digitized
The Paradox of Technological Exposure
When "Help" Perpetuates Harm
Beyond Technological Quick Fixes
Building Technologies for Liberation
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From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
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