Abstract
Online discourses in the form of social media channels and forums have exploded over the past two decades in use, both within developing and developed countries. Through these mediums, idealised notions of beauty and stereotypes are often propagated either intentionally or unintentionally. In a multiethnic society like Singapore, which has worked hard to foster harmoniousness between different races and religions through inclusive policies, new challenges nevertheless arise with the anonymity of online channels. This article will delve into how the anonymous online forum pages such as Quora and Reddit could lead worsen inequalities and microaggressions against a minority group, namely the Indians in Singapore, while investigating the proliferation of digital aggression (DA). DA is a growing public health issue, and researchers have indicated the negative outcomes upon victims, the likes of which include feeling helpless, isolated, depression, increased anxiety and in more severe cases, an increased likelihood of feeling suicidal (Kim et al., 2023). Constituting nearly a tenth of the population (“Population Trends…”, 2020), Indians in Singapore have often been subject to racialised stereotypes, which have now also transitioned online, contributing to greater inequalities in social interactions. This article will investigate the impact of online discourses in the above online platforms, and how these discourses expose ongoing insidious stereotypes associated with the Indian body in Singapore. I propose that it is important to reconsider ‘aggression’ from the perspective of the Indian subjects themselves and how calcifying, restrictive online discourses worsen inequalities by reinforcing epidermally racialised identities onto Indians in Singapore.
Author Information
Tejash Kumar Singh, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Comments
Powered by WP LinkPress