Cybertypes Race, Ethnicity, and Identity on the Internet

In chapter 4 of “Cybertypes Race, Ethnicity, and Identity on the Internet,” Lisa Nakamura discusses different types of discrimination that are present within the internet. According to the commercial “Anthem,” “There is no race. There is no gender. There is no age…There are only minds” on the internet (87). Within Nakamura’s analysis of several advertisements she concludes that race and discrimination are in fact present within them. In “Anthem” diversity is presented in a visual way and the MCI internet services that we only see minds. However, Nakamura makes the valid point that “If technology will indeed make everyone, everything, and every place the same, as ‘Anthem’…then where is there left to go?” (92). In one ad, the depiction of race should be eliminated or should be considered “’not to count’ through technology” (88). If we can communicate through computers and networks “without ‘the rest of it’” then our world would be without boundaries, “a world without limits” (89). In one instance, a Compaq advertisement shows children admiring the rain forest. The ad frames the entire ad to show a window into an “other” world (91). This ad illustrates that the product will preserve nature and all its beauties through the image on the screen. Another ad shows an Arab man on a camel and in the background behind him are perfectly displayed pyramids. The natural image this picture provides is taken away by the supposedly comedic cartoon dialogue. This dialogue takes away from what the actual picture was supposed to signify. The people who made the ad intended for the Arab man to look nothing like someone who would normally refer to cyberspace. This ad made the camel rider look “authentic” and different than United States citizens appear.

While I was reading this section, I was having a difficult time understanding the idea of what Nakamura was trying to get across. Part of this was because of the language used. It was a change from the pieces we have been reading in this class so it through me off a little bit. Once I was finished reading I’m pretty sure I understand the chapter for the most part. One question I would ask is what is the ratio of ads that produce discrimination verses ads that do not? While the internet may give off some bad vibes I feel that it has made a large positive impact within our society and changed our world for the better.