Week 2: Question & Answer for Claudia Zapata

Although digital platforms have assisted Chicanx artists with expediting the production and distribution of their art for political action, there are still concerns regarding algorithm biases in online communities. How can artists from underserved groups combat the issue of algorithmic oppression online when engaging in artivism? 

Algorithmic oppression is when search results do not offer equal opportunity for all forms of ideas, identities, and activities. Data discrimination, where certain results will be prioritized due to for-profit gain behind promoting select websites, is largely due to the monopoly of popular search engines (e.g. Google). These search engines also have a history of discriminating against people of color, specifically women of color. Social media may also play a role in the biased retrieval of information since many users typically follow accounts and/or media outlets that appeal to their personal views. 

Despite these issues, digital platforms have still served as a huge asset for Chicanx artists through providing new mediums to visualize political resistance, allowing for the creation of graphics that can be electronically distributed, and increasing efficiency when crafting new pieces. However, algorithmic oppression is limiting the potential reach of these artivism efforts. In order to combat this issue, larger institutions with a mainstream presence will need to provide a more prominent platform for Chicanx artists. Activists have been able to bring about change over the years, however, there is still progress to be made in diversifying art in online galleries, databases, mainstream media mentions, and more. For individuals who are aware of this phenomenon, we can be more proactive in sharing artwork from artivists across our social media platforms so that they can reach a wider audience. We should also be mindful of the associated hashtags and rhetoric when distributing their work. 

Image: Favianna Rodriguez's website serves as a multimedia resource for an artist's shareable graphics.

A principle (quoted in the essay) that graphic artists Jesus Barraza and Melanie Cervantes follow resonated a lot with me: “to create artwork accessible to the communities who inspire it.” I enjoyed reading about how many Chicanx artists have made their digital prints easily accessible to users (e.g. creating black-and-white prints so they are more affordable to print, creating downloadable files so that users can distribute them across social media).