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

The Divide and the Profession

I really enjoyed your inclusion of the Ted talks, which they themselves are an interesting use and engagement of the internet (but that’s a different conversation). Addressing your first question, I do actually think that the access divide is closing. Note, there are several components to the divide overall, and even though the access divide is closing it is still more difficult for some than others. Additionally, I think it’s worth mentioning that just because more people of color are engaging in internet use, that does not mean that they are more interested in the technology field. I would consider myself pretty tech and internet savvy, however, that does not mean that I could go into an IT field or anything of the sort. I think there is a long way to go between bridging technology use with technology-related careers.

In terms of the second question: on if I believe that programs geared towards increasing women of color in certain fields as being effective, I would say yes. Even though women are still underrepresented, their numbers are increasing. One of the biggest obstacles for women (and men) of color is the lack of resources. Programs that aim to increase their presence (which can have different components like mentorship, informative workshops, etc.) are a set of resources that can include powerful things like a new network. At the very least, I don’t think that these programs hurt people. Even something as simple as exposure, is one more gateway to the proposed field that students didn’t have before.

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