Rianna Walcott: Tech Bias and Digital Communities

Join guest speaker, PhD researcher and activist Rianna Walcott, for a talk and Q&A on their research into racialised communities on social media platforms.

Rianna explores how different groups use social platforms for social campaigns and networking, and the attendant drawbacks of operating in these spaces, such as how marginalised users are disadvantaged by algorithmic bias and strategic marketing, and how to address these inequalities in tech.

All ticket sales will go towards supporting The Black Curriculum – a social enterprise that aims to deliver black British history all across the UK.

The Black Curriculum runs a variety of virtual and in-person programmes to schools, young people and corporations to promote the importance of Black history.

About Rianna Walcott:

Rianna Walcott (she/her) is a final year PhD candidate at Kings College London researching Black women’s identity formation in digital spaces, and a graduate twiceover from the University of Edinburgh.

She co-founded projectmyopia.com, a website that promotes inclusivity in academia and a decolonised curriculum.

She frequently writes about race, feminism, mental health, arts and culture for publications including The Wellcome Collection, The Metro, The Guardian, The BBC, Vice, and Dazed, and is the 2021-22 scholar-in-residence at University College London’s writing lab.

Rianna is co-editor of an anthology about BAME mental health – The Colour of Madness, and in the time left over she moonlights as a professional jazz singer.