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

Youtube, Itoube, We all toube? by Addie Vielmas

Youtube, is a social media platform whom many people love because of its wide range of videos. As a new media source, I found it relevant to examine Youtube and how it played into the digital divide. The digital divide is the unequal access to and use of Information and Communications Technology (ICTs). When using social media accounts such as Youtube, it is important to understand how the digital divide plays into it. On Youtube's Statistic's page, it states that there are over a billion users. Out of 7 billion of people who inhabit the Earth, only 1 billion are on Youtube, a popular social media site. Why isn't the rest of the population on? Could it be because of the digital divide? There are many factors that determine and create the digital divide, but the key component is the parent's educational background. In the many data sets I looked into, income/education was a significant component. The reason this is the deciding factor is because it establishes what sort of income/ job a person will have (socioeconomic status) and where they are able to live (region). Another important factor to look into is race because there is a pattern for people of color to have limited access to the internet in comparison to the Anglo community. This is why not everyone has the same opportunities, all because of the internet which is leading the world into an internet-based society. As a result, not being digitally literate creates a sort of handicap.

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1. Youtube, Itoube, We all toube? by Addie Vielmas Youtube, is a social media platform whom many people love because of its wide range of videos. As a new media source, I found it relevant to examine Youtube and how it played into the digital divide. The digital divide is the unequal access to and use of Information and Communications Technology (ICTs). When using social media accounts such as Youtube, it is important to understand how the digital divide plays into it. On Youtube's Statistic's page, it states that there are over a billion users. Out of 7 billion of people who inhabit the Earth, only 1 billion are on Youtube, a popular social media site. Why isn't the rest of the population on? Could it be because of the digital divide? There are many factors that determine and create the digital divide, but the key component is the parent's educational background. In the many data sets I looked into, income/education was a significant component. The reason this is the deciding factor is because it establishes what sort of income/ job a person will have (socioeconomic status) and where they are able to live (region). Another important factor to look into is race because there is a pattern for people of color to have limited access to the internet in comparison to the Anglo community. This is why not everyone has the same opportunities, all because of the internet which is leading the world into an internet-based society. As a result, not being digitally literate creates a sort of handicap.

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