ABSTRACT
The perspective that race, gender, and social class are socially constructed phenomena is in contrast with an alternative viewpoint, one which sees race and gender, in particular, as deterministic or essentialistic. Digital and social media can bring people together, but they can also drive people apart. Different types of scholars, however, approach the matter of media effects differently. Some readings overtly address intersectionality by acknowledging the interaction of race, gender, and class, but notice how other readings might be informed by intersectionality even though it may not be a key focal point. Our media system is complex and incorporates a variety of interrelated components, each of which experiences many pressures from both within and without. The importance of race and gender in our society has nothing to do with physical attributes of race and gender and everything to do with society’s interpretation of what it means to be a member of a particular gender or racial/ethnic group.
