Apryl A. Williams

Apryl A. Williams is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Susquehanna University and a Research Fellow at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University.

Williams' research follows two broad streams of inquiry: critical cultural studies of the implications of technology on race relations as well as the study of mobile phones and digital technologies in countries experiencing political conflict. As a multidisciplinary scholar, Williams studies the experience of race and racism online. Her work positions the Internet as an inherently racialized space with its own processes, norms, and rituals of racial meaning-making. In the past she has studied racialization in online communities, gendered and racial discourse in fandoms, selfies, co-viewing and second screening in communities of color, misinformation and latinx discourse on immigration on Facebook, and digital technologies in the Democratic Republic of Congo. While at the Berkman Klein Center, Williams is conducting mix-methods research on online dating. Her book-length project examines racial bias in online dating platforms both from the perspective of dating apps and individual users. Her work interrogates user agency when using match-making algorithms and highlights the experiences of people of color as they navigate the ever-changing social rules that govern online dating.