Why the Online Freelance Economy Is Great for Racists, Nationalists and Sexists

Remember when the Internet used to be anonymous? I do. Now it’s full of avatars, bios and videos. People want to know who they are working with, where that person is located, and what country they hold allegiance to. While I can completely understand the rationale behind this practice, it is quite troubling to me for one reason. It makes it extremely easy to discriminate and prejudge based on factors other than actual qualifications.

The Internet Should Not Be EEOC

Let me start off by making that very clear. I believe that the Internet is the ultimate free economy. Anyone with the ability to go online can theoretically offer their product or service. Ten years ago it was the perfect playing field. It is the reason a bookseller could become a cultural icon, and a dating website the marketing tool of businesses. People made decisions based on the merit of the product or service being provided, not the attractiveness of the creator’s avatar. We didn’t care who wrote it, we cared about what it said.

So I am not in any way suggesting that there should be some type of quota to ensure that disenfranchised populations get equal access at the Internet economy. (That would mean that someone would have to regulate the Internet, and that is when you start opening up a huge can of worms.) I am suggesting that it would be awesome to have a blind internet economy. Otherwise, what solution does someone who knows they will be discriminated…