A Study of Online Media Representation of Ethnic Minorities and Online Racial Discrimination in Hong Kong

The research team conducted (1) a content analysis to examine how online news articles and their readers’ comments portray ethnic minority groups in Hong Kong and whether this portrayal involves racial bias or discrimination, and (2) a survey to examine how ethnic minorities experience online racial discrimination and to explore the antecedents (i.e., race-related social media use), moderators (i.e., ethnic identity, self-esteem, and length of time spent online), and outcomes (i.e., depressive symptoms and aggressive behavior) of this discrimination.

Highlights

• This study was one of the first studies to examine online racial discrimination in Hong Kong.

• This study proposed and tested a model on the antecedents, moderators, and outcomes of online racial discrimination.

• This study provided practical recommendations to online media companies, ethnic minority groups, the Equal Opportunities Commission, and the government for addressing racial discrimination.