RACISM IN DIGITAL ERA: DEVELOPMENT AND INITIAL VALIDATION OF THE PERCEIVED ONLINE RACISM SCALE (PORS V1.0)

Abstract

Racism continues to thrive on the Internet. Yet, little is known about racism in online

settings and the potential consequences. The purpose of this study was to develop the

Perceived Online Racism Scale (PORS), the first measure to assess people’s

perceived online racism experiences as they interact with others and consume

information on the Internet. Items were developed through a multi-stage process

based on literature review, focus-groups, and qualitative data collection. Based on a

racially diverse large-scale sample (N = 1023), exploratory and confirmatory factor

analyses provided support for a 30-item bifactor model with the following three

factors: (a) 14-item PORS-IP (personal experiences of racism in online interactions),

(b) 5-item PORS-V (observations of other racial/ethnic minorities being offended),

and (c) 11-item PORS-I (consumption of online contents and information denigrating

racial/ethnic minorities and highlighting racial injustice in society). Initial construct

validity examinations suggest that PORS is significantly linked to psychological

distress.