American Racial Stratification and Online Ecosystems: A Reflection on Systemic Oppression & Digital Dreams

Abstract

"I had left behind this period of my life until reading Lewis’s (2020) “Alternative Influence” last year, where I recognized several usernames in association with Shoe0nHead’s channel. He explains how YouTube enables the endearment of fringe yet palatable personalities to increasingly radical figures, informing an ecosystem of ‘underdog’ self-perceptions that entrap pliable users and promise belonging"(p.63)