In making my project, I have many goals. I want to be able to show the world the inequalities that are hidden behind a screen. There is both intentional and unintentional discrimination toward minorities and the disabled. I would like to spread awareness and hopefully make a difference.
Race after the Internet is a compilation of essays that people wrote surrounded race and the media. The media clearly portrays all aspects of the human race. You can turn on the TV and see Caucasians, African Americans, Asians, and every other race. However, this reading made me think. Are they accurately and equally portraying each race?
The first essay, Connection at Ewiiaapaayp Mountain, is about the highly coveted internet service that has recently been introduced in the Native American community. Southern California, home to thousands of Native Americans, was lacking something I couldn’t imagine my life without: technology. They went through periods of having no technology, to receiving a few computers, to getting computers with Internet. However, it was quite a process. Personally, I don’t think it should have been such a hard journey for them to receive Internet. Yes, Internet is a luxury. But does this mean not everyone should receive the same luxuries? It is a basic luxury that everyone should have the chance to have. It can greatly improve one’s life, and the life of a community. Although the Indian Reservations were far behind in technology, shouldn’t they still get the chance to catch up? I greatly respect what Joseph, Michael, and Matt did for the reservations. By installing Internet service, they significantly improved the lives of others. The second essay, New Voices on the Net, presents a really strong argument about race’s relation to the media. The essay’s main claim is that although minorities are becoming the majority, they are still underrepresented in the media. The author, as well as I, don’t think that their representation is growing with the times. In addition to being underrepresented, when they are represented, minorities are often portrayed inaccurately. I strongly agree with this argument. The news often skews stories and twists people’s words in order to get higher ratings. Both of these readings show that the American media has some serious flaws. Between TV, radio, books, movies, etc, they are not showing an accurate representation of our country. They do this to make more money and gain more power. There needs to be more people in the field who are interested in rightfully informing the public, not just interesting the public. In Computer Race goes to Class, Jonathan Sterne speaks about how race relates to the cyberspace. Originally, I did not think that a relationship even existed between the two. I assumed that there were equal Internet-users of each race. However, he explains how a vast majority of internet users are actually white. This is due to the fact that they have better access to resources than other minorities do. It all begins in childhood, experts say. They believe that if kids are exposed to technology at a young age, they will be able to better master it. Mastering technology is important because technology can make life hundreds of times easier. Additionally, it’s an imperative and impressive skill when looking for a job.
Sterne also delves into what being “literate” is. Being literate in the English language means that you are able to read and write. However, this is not the case for being computer literate. Most people assume that if they can work the basic functions of a computer, then they are literate. But, this is technically false. Literacy works both ways, which means being computer literate would require one to know how to program a computer. This is a skill that most people, including myself, do not possess. Personally, I do not think that the word literate is an adequate word when speaking of technology. I think that people should be described using different skill levels, such as basic, intermediate, and advanced. Basic would be someone who is just starting out, intermediate would be one who is familiar with most programs and can perform most functions, and advanced would be one who could program a computer. With this being said, the author also talks about the common misconception about race and class. Often, people will blend the two words and use them interchangeably. However, this is incorrect. Race is a physical division of mankind. Class refers to the status and power of a person. I do not believe that they are interchangeable because although one race may be more prominent in one class, this does not mean they are the entirety of the class. There are Caucasians in the uppermost class, just as there are Caucasians in the slums of America. When researchers are talking about the access people have to computers, they should not say that certain races have less access to computers without backing that up with actual statistics. Clearly, lower classes will have more restrictions on available resources, but this does not mean that certain races are more “illiterate” with computers than another. There are definitely more misconceptions about computers and cyberspace than those that meet the eye. People should be more mindful when speaking about such topics in relation to class and race. |