Race and the Digital: Racial Formation and 21st Century Technologies

Measuring Race on the Internet: Users, Identity, and Cultural Difference in the United States by Michie Ortiz


Closing the digital divide: Memphis minorities 

Media Summary

Memphis has a massive digital divide that has left minority children in Memphis without internet. Grasswork groups have created an after school and summer programs to get children encouraged to participate in coding and the STEM field. Code crew was created for under represented Latinos, African Americans, and Asians. The poverty in Memphis has made it difficult for children by giving them no access to internet and the possibility of different fields of education.  Code Crew encourages sparking an interest in coding and stem programs. These children are being given opportunities to lift themselves out of poverty. Essentially, this is to show that there are still areas where minorities have no access to internet and in the process of receiving help.


Reading Summary
Nakamura, Lisa. "Measuring Race on the Internet: Users, Identity, and Cultural Difference in the United States." Digitizing Race: Visual Cultures of the Internet. Minneapolis: U of Minnesota, 2008. 171-201. Print.

In the chapter "Measuring Race on the Internet: Users, Identity, and Cultural Difference in the United States" the author Lisa Nakamura questions the racial politics of visibility on the internet. Most scholars rely on organizations to collect demographic data so they can conceptualize the results. However, these results can often be skewed because of many factors. One factor is not everyone has access to the internet. The lack of internet access would lead to an over representation of minorities who have internet access because those without are being taken into consideration. Some organizations do surveys through the phone but do not offer them in Asian languages which would exclude a large portion of the Asian American population.  This had led to the data showing "75 %" of Asian Americans having access to internet which makes them one of the most wired group the United States ( pg 181). These surveys ask questions about what activities a person engages with online. It does not question their cultural production, such as the creation of a website or posting up a blog. These surveys do not get the entire idea of the digital divide when they only survey activities. The issue with this is there may be a deeper digital divide with the over representation of minorities in the surveys. This would result in a lack of public internet access in local communities that need it.
Studies have shown that minorities are the ones who happen to invest the most in the internet. Interestingly enough people of color value the internet for its educational values. Hispanic parents invest in internet access for their children's future. However, you still mostly see minorities participating in activities listed under fun such as playing games, chatting online, and listening to music.
Over half the people on the internet are young adults. Because of this there is a fear that the internet has become mass media.
In 2004 Daniel Lee created an online petition to boycott an article the magazine Details had released entitled "Asian or Gay". it encouraged cyber activism in the Asian community. This was not the only ad that included racial stereotyping. Abercrombie and Fitch had released a t-shirt with the writing "Two Wongs Don't Make it White." There was the use of tiny images of Buddha as a fashion statement on a tankini. The use of the Buddhist images was received with anger for the lack of respect for a religious figure. There are Asian American civil rights organizations  (Japanese American Citizens' League, Asian American Journalists' Association) that monitor the media.
The Asian or Gay piece had a picture of an Asian man in pretty stylish brand name clothing and shot hair cut. What was supposed to be a hilarious take on a social stereotype backfired. Asians' use of petitions showed the use of "visual culture of internet to challenge racism in offline visual media cultures" (pg 188). the article demonstrated what people began to call retail racism.
Nakamura encourages using the internet to participate in something meaningful online instead of browsing.

Analysis

I was most shocked to realize how the surveys were conducted for the demographic data. For something that can affect an the public I feel like there should be more efficient ways to be accurately  taking down information. What this article made clear to me is that minorities are invisible when it comes to the digital divide. Over representation in surveys is not helping them out. Secondly, Asian Americans are also the biggest minority being misrepresented. With over half the a good chunk of them who cannot speak English it is not helping them out in any way.
I found it interesting to see how the minorities happened to use the internet for more fun activities. I say this because their motivation to pay for internet is based off the idea of investing in their child's education. I begin to wonder whether is was a misconception of the uses of the internet or if it has to do with something else. Regardless, I believe they open doors to their children.
The "Asian or Gay" scandal with Details demonstrates the power of the internet. With the ability for people to form petitions and create different forms of protest online, they really demonstrated the powers of the internet. This form of participated on the internet helps support the . It also shows the visibility of minorities on the internet. 

Discussion Questions.

1.With the Asian American protest against retail racism we are left with two questions. "How do online petitions function differently from television, film, and other media in this way? Should we talk about them as Media, or as political protests?" (pg 197)
 
2.Collecting accurate demographic data has proven to be difficult, what should organizations do to improve their accuracy? what would should they stop doing?
 
 3.Why do you think minorities participate more in activities that are deemed "fun"? What do you think they benefit from this?

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  1. Before this reading, I honestly had no idea that petitions could be generated online. I have only seen people with actual petitions within their hands asking people to sign them. I personally think that these online petitions are political protests rather than as a part of media. I can only imagine that it is perhaps difficult to gather a group of people to protest against something, and I think that online petitions are a useful way to get peoples’ voices out. As far as collecting accurate demographic data, I do not think that will ever be 100% accurately collected. There are so many people within a region, that it is rather difficult to collect accurate demographic information on them all. I do think, however, that they should stop the phone call surveys. I think the phone survey is the least useful type of surveying, because not many people have phones nor would they bother to answer an unrecognized number. Also, many underprivileged minorities cannot afford a phone and are thus underrepresented. I believe the minority now represents the majority within America, and it is time that proper representation is given to them with stronger attempts rather than phone calls or mailed surveys that can be seen as “junk mail.”
  2. I agree with Ashley about online petitions. They allow people's voice to be heard and what is great about it that people that signed the petition could share it through social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. An example of an online petition website is https://www.change.org/ where anybody could make a petition on whatever issue they want to bring up in the public sphere. They are political protests because people that are signing the petition are asking for change and get rid of the status quo on issues. So in that sense, online petitions are a form of political protest.
  3. The funny thing is that as I read the article, the website I thought of right away was change.org. I agree with the comments before me that online petitions are not a form of media but more of a political protest. Going back to Change.org, there motto is "change anything, anywhere, big or small" and describe the function of a petition as "people joining together and raise their voices about an issue they care about". The medias goal is to "inform" the audience of current issues and do their end in order to educate the public. However, online petitions instead make people become involved and active about issues they care or are passionate about. I know that when I hear or read something and I want to in fact change it, I sign online petitions. I've signed numerous petitions that concern education and certain aspects in my neighborhood. To answer another question Michelle posed, I believe minorities tend to participate in "fun" because they are getting acquainted with the internet and what it has to offer. Unlike Anglos, minorities, for the most part, are "new" to the internet. I became aware of the Web when I was in the 3rd grade in school, and I did not learn about it at home. Also my parents recently learned about the web in the past 2 years. This may be due to the fact that they are from a ranch in Mexico and were "old fashioned" when it came to technology. However, are internet uses are different. As a college student, I tend to use the web for homework and social media. However, both my parents tend to use it for Youtube and browsing the web. From a perspective, it can be believed that my internet use is more beneficial than my parents, but I don't believe that. Internet use is unique and does not reflect the capabilities of a person. My parents are new to the web and are exploring everything that appeals to them. And me, as someone who has experience and years with the web, I tend to use it for more "important" reasons. But when I was younger, I used the internet for fun. So I think, as people become more accustomed to the web their internet use will expand and become more diverse.
  4. I found your media post very interesting! Its great to see programs like Code Crew giving underprivileged students the opportunity to get more involved in technology. In her book chapter, "Measuring Race On the Internet," Nakamura points out that when young minorities get online, they tend to spend time engaging in mostly "fun" activities. I think one explanation for this may come from the possible lack of computer knowledge found in these minorities' homes. Many may not have an adult or older relative at home that can teach them about the various functions of a computer or what can be done on the internet. Of course I can't forget to mention that some may not even have computers at home or access to the internet. School may be the only resource young minorities may have to acquire this knowledge, as we see in the case of Code Crew. Currently at my job, I am in charge of facilitating a program called "KidTech" where I teach students the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to navigate the "digital world." While not as intricate as Code Crew, KidTech allows my students to explore and be familiar with various tools such as word, excel, powerpoint, internet research, digital photography, etc., which can be beneficial for them in both their future career and educational journeys. I think we need more program like these to get young students more involved online and not just be "read only members."
  5. As my classmates before me, I had no idea before reading this text that there now existed online petitions. Like with petitions in the physical world, online petitions do have a political air, and like with petitions in the physical world, online petitions still leave many questions are still left unanswered since people do not want to expose themselves or divulge any of their information. However, I do think that social media can be considered petition-like, as they are sites that allow others to be in contact and share information for many to learn.

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