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

Minority Dilemma

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.”

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