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

Importance of race

I first want to mention what a great job you did on the blog; you brought up many compelling points throughout and your media article was an interesting read! In regards to your second question, racism is very much present within the cyber world and given the increasing use and accessibility of technology, racism on the Internet has only become more prevalent. The increased use of web 2.0 technologies such as Facebook, twitter, and YouTube has provided the space for racist material to be generated and spread to thousands of people with just one click. One does not have to look too hard to find racist material on the web. YouTube videos, YouTube comments, Facebook, tumblr, twitter, and many other sites have a constant stream of racist content circulating its feeds. A fundamental note to point out is that within the cyber world, individuals have the ability to be anonymous which often means that the repercussions of posting racist content is no longer of great concern.

Given the intersectionality that is found in the cyber world, it amazes me that within the confines of cyber-feminism, race is and continues to be ignored. As mentioned by Maria Fernandez, cyberfeminists often concentrate their efforts on the technical and political aspects of digital media and ignore racism despite its prevalence in the digital space. In order to create stronger and more positive alliances, cyberfeminists must not ignore the importance of race.

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