Erasing @race- Going White in the (Inter) Face- Kolko

In chapter 12 of “Race in Cyberspace,” Beth E. Kolko begins by discussing interactions people have with technology. She brings in the concept of cyberspace and argues that there is a more intense engagement with cyberspace than with simply a computer. Cyberspace allows people to decide their identity and who they want to be. Kolko notes that race is a missing factor when developing a virtual identity. She goes on to discuss that there are many different virtual worlds. Characters within these worlds have properties that reflect “real life” elements of identity and allow them to define their virtual self (215). A person’s use of language to describe oneself is highly important in cyberspace. She notes that most of the five senses that are presented face-to-face are not in the virtual world. Through cyberspace, there are several properties that are available to be presented. However, Kolko notes that race is not one of them and therefore the “default race” is assumed to be white (216). Sites that do not present an @race property means that racial identity is irrelevant and that the “ideal” user is a white user. Cynthia Selfe and Richard Selfe saw that their computer-based teaching contributes to a larger cultural system. Interfaces allow users to see the outcomes or what it produces but not the actual program (219). Interfaces are powerful and equally important for what they show and what they don’t show. Kolko argues that “the effaced @race is a component of interface that helps construct the kinds of experience users can have online” (222). Even for certain virtual sites that allow people to mark their race, it disappears when “role-playing games (RPGs) are not present and the site is simply social. It was also believed that while people say that race was taken out of the virtual world, it was never actually there (224). A lack of race in cyberspace represents the technology as “raceless” to the user. Kolko’s conclusion for this chapter is that bringing race into cyberspace will provide information that can be useful in other communication systems and about how users bring perception and pattern into it (230).

After reading this chapter, it was brought to my attention that race is rarely included in the virtual world. For example, facebook does not included a section where people are able to define their race if they have the desire. One question I would pose for this section is why is there such a need to establish race through cyberspace? Some people may choose to do so but I personally don’t feel that it is necessary. Also, I do not think of everyone on the internet to be white but I can see where some would think that.

Facebook post

This picture was found on one of my old high school friend’s facebook page. In the picture are my friend and his father who is titled at “Poppa Raj.” They are both making similar gestures towards the camera. Their hands are raised away from their bodies and their hands are positioned with their middle finder over their ring fingers. The father has a rather plan look on his face with a little bit of a smile mixed in. The son is smiling without his teeth and seems to be excited at the moment. From the background, they are inside their home and seem to be a rather privileged family. The rooms seem to be large, there are several paintings that are hanging on the wall and I see a granite counter top as well.

They are making a gesture that is most associated with the black community. I know this because one of the comments made on the picture said something along the lines of “your dad’s going gangstaaa.” Many of the other comments made on the picture show that the viewers really like the picture and are completely surprised by it as well. Viewers may be surprised by this because they are of Hindu decent and it is highly unlikely that someone of another minority group would add to a stereotype of another minority group (blacks). Blacks have suffered enormous amounts throughout history and the representation of this picture does not seem to be politically correct. Other people viewing this picture are just seeing it as a joke and that it is extremely funny. However, they are not aware of the message it sends to others in cyberspace.