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• 1 2016-04-27T10:03:00-07:00 Analysis 32 plain 2016-04-28T07:00:38-07:00 In her book chapter, Measuring Race On the Internet: Users, Identity, and Cultural Difference in the United States, Lisa Nakamura asks a very compelling question: "'Does the internet really offer spaces for representation and resistance constructed 'for us' and by us'" (176)? Around the late twentieth century it was thought that the staggering growth of media and ICTs would permit and expand the ability for average citizens to express their ideas and circulate them before a larger public without going through "traditional gatekeepers" such as editors, publishers, or record labels (Jenkins, 2008; Cummings, Sayf, Jarrett, 2012). This has not been the case. As we saw in data set B, Latino/as and African American have less access to internet services than their white counterparts. As previously mentioned, less access means less opportunities to engage in the creation and distribution of content. Even if one were to argue that ICT access and use disparities between minorities and whites is very minimal, there still remains a participation gap between those individuals who distribute and create content on the web and those who don't (Hargittai and Walejko, 2008). Nakamura (2007) argues that this participation gap may exist because “relative latecomers to the Internet” which are often people of color, women, and working class individuals, don’t own the means to produce cultural texts on the internet in the same way a technically skilled user may have. Relating this to the social media site, Pinterest, beyond just being less active on the site, African Americans and Latino/as may not know how to create a website and then pin it onto Pinterest for the world to discover. This can lead to a lack of representation and voice. One of the practicalities of Pinterest is that it not only allows users to share and discover "fun" and entertaining content, but also content that is powerful and culturally aesthetic. For example, users can upload recipes, art, crafts, clothing, and many other things that are native to their country and/or culture and heritage. With Latino/as and African Americans not as active on the site, their ability to present and represent themselves is severely constrained. Nakamura (2015) points out that for years, women and people of color have not been served well by mass media, often being subject to racist and sexist ideologies. With the lack of participation of Latino/as and African Americans on the internet, this can and will continue. 
  
  
  
   
• 1 2016-04-28T01:15:40-07:00 Description of New Media and Data Sets 25 plain 2016-04-28T06:49:37-07:00 A Look Into Pinterest:
  
  Pinterest is a social media website that essentially acts as a visual bookmarking tool allowing registered users to upload, save, share and manage various forms of expressive content such as recipes, “DIY” projects and crafts, travel ideas, images, videos, and much more. Users are able to interactively connect with, discover, and share creative ideas with other users. Upon entering the site, you are met with various pins or visual bookmarks, which can be managed and saved onto your own pinboard. Your pinboard can be curated to your own interests. When you click on a pin, you are linked back to the original site it came from. This allows users to learn more about the particular pin—such as how to make a it or where to buy it (Pinterest.com). The original sites are either businesses or independent individuals with their own blogs and/or websites. Theoretically, Pinterest is intended for any individual with Internet access and this is seen in the fact that Pinterest has a wide array of language options to choose from. Moreover, in order to engage with Pinterest, one must create an account, which can be done by connecting through Facebook or providing an email and password. Navigating through the site and searching for content is fairly easy and there are step-by-step instructions on how to upload and save pins. 
  
  
  
  
  Breaking Down the Data Sets: 
  
  Data Set A is from the Pew Research Center on The Demographics of Social Media Users (2010), which looks at different demographic groups and the social media site they are most likely to engage with. I specifically examine the data on The Percentage of Internet Users Using Pinterest, which is divided by gender, race and ethnicity, age, educational attainment, household income, and urbanity. Overall 15% of total Internet users who were surveyed use Pinterest. The data reveals that “whites, young people, the well educated, those with higher income, and women are the most likely to use Pinterest”(Pew Research Center, 2013:5). Focusing on race alone, roughly 18 percent of Whites, 10 percent of Hispanics, and only 8 percent of African Americans engage with this social media platform. The various demographic categories shown on this data set reflects a significant issue: ICT use and participation is not limited to race and ethnicity alone and many of these categories are correlated with one another. 
  
  
  ​Data Set B is from the Pew Hispanic Center on Latinos and Digital Technology, which analyzes digital technology use patterns among Latinos, whites and African Americans in 2010. I take a closer look on the data set that examines Technology Use by Race and Ethnicity. Set up as a bar graph, the graph shows the percentage of Hispanics, whites, and blacks that have (1) internet access, (2) home broadband access, and (3) a cellphone. What we find is that Latino/as and African Americans trail behind whites in all categories. This matters because as one might suspect, greater access to digital technologies and services allows for greater opportunities for individuals to engage in the creation and distribution of content.