Countering Ethnic and Religious Discrimination in Digital Spaces

Digital spaces have fundamentally transformed social interactions and access to opportunity, yet they simultaneously amplify ethnic and religious discrimination through unchecked hate speech, algorithmic biases, and coordinated harassment campaigns. Social media platforms and AI-driven systems often perpetuate harmful stereotypes and discriminatory practices, mirroring and intensifying offline ethnic and religious penalties observed in labor markets and education. These digital inequalities raise urgent questions about social cohesion, inclusion, and justice. This Research Topic aligns with Zero Discrimination Day’s (March 1st, 2026) mission to end all forms of prejudice and foster inclusion, addressing critical gaps in our understanding of how digital technologies both reproduce and potentially counteract ethnic and religious discrimination. By emphasizing interdisciplinary work across sociology, social policy, psychology, economics, and criminology, we seek to advance SDGs 10 (Reduced Inequalities) and 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions).Ethnic and religious discrimination thrives in digital spaces via unchecked hate speech, biased algorithms, and echo chambers, exacerbating real-world inequalities in access, employment, and social cohesion. This Research Topic aims to dissect these dynamics and propose evidence-based strategies for countering them, promoting equitable digital environments. Recent advances, such as AI moderation tools and EU Digital Services Act regulations (2024), offer hope but require sociological scrutiny to address biases and enforcement gaps. Contributions should explore interventions like platform accountability, user education, and policy reforms, building on interdisciplinary insights from quantitative analysis to ethnographic studies. Ultimately, we seek to inform policies that reduce online prejudice’s spillover into offline harms and advance SDG goals through rigorous, policy-relevant research. This Research Topic emphasizes contemporary intersections of ethnicity, religion, and digital prejudice with strong sociological, political, or psychological angles.Suggested themes which may be explored in the Research Topic, include, but are not limited to:• Algorithmic biases amplifying ethnic and religious stereotypes• Online hate speech targeting ethnic and religious minorities• Digital platforms’ role in refugee integration or labor market penalties• Platform moderation effectiveness• Policy interventions for inclusive techWe welcome original empirical work (quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods), systematic reviews, policy analyses, and brief reports, excluding purely historical studies without modern relevance. Submissions must offer in-depth insights into social structures, life chances, and inequalities, informing SDG 10 and 16. Topic editors: Sin Yi Cheung, Natalie-Anne Hall, Carmen Aguilera-Carnerero Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/78437/countering-ethnic-and-religious-discrimination-in-digital-spaces