Practicum #8: HOLLA

For my final practicum post, I will wipe the tears away and pay homage to my home away from home this past semester: Black Voices.

My "friends" there have taught me so much about things such as: Regis slapping Nicki Minaj's behind, Kelly Rowland being broke, and why white folks don't kill each other. As I was looking around BV today, I was intrigued by something that I saw on the "Begging Folk To Like You--Why?" board. I went to the board thinking that it was a general discussion, but it was specific to BV. Apparently, there is an underlying social structure on the board in which people care about others' opinions of them in the group. One poster wrote, "Everyone wants to be part of something. Don't you think BV is like a big family? We have alot of mothers, a lot of fellas that act like mothers. We have the bothersum brutha (u know who). The fighting cuzns. And last but not least that one sibling we know should be in a mental institution, yet we still show them love. Like the police chasing them, we hide them."

Let's all say it together: AWWWWWWWW. With that in mind, I tried to determine my place within this family. I think I'd be the awkward third cousin twice removed who you don't really know exists. I guess that's what I get for not posting. I really liked how this person pointed out that they were like a family. It helped me see the boards in a different light. It's not that they discuss groundbreaking material, or are going to change the world with this message board, but they have created a sense of belonging and community online. Everyone has a role to play--whether they battle for everyone's amusement, comment on every board, rant about crazy things, etc...

While I am still unsure about all of the necessities of ethnography, and I can't definitively generalize why African Americans use the internet, I have learned a thing or two. Whether it be to cater advertising and business decisions towards their group in particular, to escape from racism that can often be present on mainstream sites, or to find a sense of family, having a separate space online *is* important. Why? Because they want one. And that's that.

Top 10 Reasons to Slap a White B*TC

I recently made my triumphant return to Black Voices after a small hiatus. Things are getting pretty heated on there. As you can see from the title, I decided to delve into one thread in particular...Top 10 Reasons to Slap a White B*TC. For those of you who won't actually click the link I kindly provided, here are a few of the reasons:

1.) Staring...(What are you looking at me for?)
7.)Putting their hands in a Black woman's hair!
10.) Making a BIG MISTAKE in assuming that she wouldn't get slapped in public for disrespecting a Black woman at any time...

Alright. As a white B*TC, I was sort of confused by the reasons that she listed. They didn't seem that interesting, but since I'm not black, I didn't know if these were reasons that the African American community would agree with. At the end of her post, "truthangel" asked the rest of the users if they had anything to add. I was very surprised to see that most people disagreed with her, and actually gave her some attitude about her list. Many people were upset that she was playing into Black stereotypes in regards to her apparent temper, and said things such as, "it seems stupid coming from a grown woman," "Make sure you follow it up with "reasons for going to jail" and ruining your life," and "LOL -- for real, people need to quit with that old wives tale that sistas can kick azz just because." No one was very supportive of this list, and no one contributed any more ideas to hers. I thought that this would be one of those ranty threads that I've seen on BV before, and I was wrong. You learn something new every day. While some African Americans use the internet as an outlet for these feelings, others are very aware that they shouldn't because it makes them look how other groups perceive them. I'm learning that African Americans need to be conscious internet users for this reason.

Side note: I was very distracted while doing this important research because of an ad on the side of my page. Wendy's now has natural cut fries with sea salt, and let me tell you, they look damn good. Good job with the advertising plan, Wendy's. Tip of the cap to you.

What do African Americans Really Want?

Based on the current trajectory of my practicum project, I am feeling a little all over the place when it comes to the information that I am getting and sharing. I found myself wondering, what do African Americans really want? They want separate sites, but then they fail because no one uses them. When they are on popular sites with everyone else, they are either offended by the content or still don't feel like they are getting what they need out of it. Like magic, my friends at Black Web 2.0 popped up on my Google search with an article conveniently titled, "The Internet: What do African Americans Really Want?" Sound familiar? Yes, because I just asked that same question.

They described African Americans as posing "unique challenges and opportunities" on the internet. On one hand, African Americans are using mobile internet more than any other ethnic group. African American topics trend the most on Twitter, and African Americans responsive to having their brands and media outlets create apps for their phones. HOWEVER, less than 50% of African Americans have broadband internet in their homes, and apps that are created have poor numbers. This is quite the conundrum.


I was glad to see that they shared my perspective on African Americans' internet usage. The person who wrote this article is afraid that African Americans will become the "digital underclass"--being left behind. They also mentioned the digital divide, but I still don't know what that is. The problem is that everything about African Americans and the internet is an anomaly. That is what I have gathered so far from my research, and it was comforting to see that African American technology experts agree with me. They want African Americans to be more clear about what they want, and African American businesses, entrepreneurs, media outlets, etc to cater to their needs a bit more than they currently are. There is a large market here, if someone can get it right.

#Blackgirlsrock

Kim pointed out to me via twitter that #blackgirlsrock is a trending topic on Twitter right now (see Jana's posts for an explanation of what that means because I don't want to give it to you). I clearly dropped everything I was doing, ran home, and decided to post about it. Actually, I was already sitting on my couch so here we go.

I decided to take a gander at how African Americans use Twitter and social networking sites that aren't about one race, like the sites I have been looking at already. We had already learned in class that MySpace is designated as being more for African Americans than Facebook. Although I would have considered this to be a racist statement, apparently they've done research. As for Twitter, there is nothing else like it so there can't really be a racial divide. On to #blackgirlsrock...

I clicked on the #blackgirlsrock hashtag so that all of the posts would come up. It seems like this was being used as a little self-esteem builder through which people were listing reasons why...well...black girls rock. Here are some of my favorite tweets:
1. #BlackGirlsRock because we are all beautiful!!! RT this if ur twitcon is of ur face and not ur ASS!
2. #BlackGirlsRock cause we have no otha choice ! ! !
3. #blackgirlsrock and this black guy is bout to roll a blunt

Obviously, there are many reasons why black girls rock, and there are many reasons why people were using this hash tag today. Some people were using it for inspirational purposes, and some people were using it just to use it. I did pay specific attention to the profile pictures while I was skimming the list. I found that there were many not so nice ones from people of different races, so I'll post some of those as well:
1. Weaves, perms, skin lighteners? Don't kid yourself RT @LalaIsAFreak #blackgirlsrock because every other race is trying to be just like us
2. #blackgirlsrock hahahaha is that really trending?
3. A tweet to all blacks... DIE! Oh wait.. Obama, not you.. I don't want the FBI on me.. #blackgirlsrock
-->from the same moron: How do you expect people to stop discriminating "blacks" when even on twitter they isolate themselves from other races... #blackgirlsrock


There are some outrageous things that happen on Twitter, and I've never really looked into them before. Apparently, the #blackgirlsrock hashtag is promoting some award show on BET this weekend. Both black women and men, and non-black women and men, on Twitter are using it to share their honest feelings and opinions about what it means to be a black woman, and I find it disturbing that some people are using it to make racist remarks for no reason. Having a trending topic on Twitter is not that big of a deal, and it is not hurting anyone else, so it's sad that it has come to this. African Americans were not using this tag to insult other races, just to compliment their own. This helps me understand why African Americans would want separate spaces online. Until now, I was not completely sold on the necessity of Black Voices or other site's I had been investigating. However, if people are going to be offensive for no reason in these shared spaces, that changes everything. African Americans should be able to voice their opinions online without being told to "die" by some white obnoxious teenager. Maybe there does need to be more segregation on the internet.

What do you all think? Should there be separate spaces for African Americans until people can get over these racist or offensive attitudes, or does the "everyone is entitled to their own opinion" idea extend both ways? Do we have to let these people's comments slide because the internet is a public and shared space? Get at me...

Black Web 2.0

What a glorious find, if I do say so myself. I recently stumbled upon "Black Web 2.0," which was exciting for several reasons. First of all, I thought Web 2.0 was a made up term. Who knew people actually used it? Second of all, I am getting awkwardly excited to find sites like this because I never would have imagined they existed. When I started this project, I had no idea that any minority group would have separate sites for anything really, let alone technology and new media stuff. Look at me getting excited about segregation---it's so 1963.

Anyway, Black Web 2.0's motto is "A Different Perspective." There are posts about technology news, trends, gadgets, social media, and Black tech entrepreneurs. I even found this post about about why businesses should use Foursquare...perhaps a good read for my friend Kim :)!!!!!

The hot topics on this site as of tonight are Verizon, Android, Blackberry Playbook, and Apple ios software. You can find help or discussions on basically anything that you are looking for. The question remains, though, what is the purpose of this? Part of their "about me" section reads, "We also analyze emerging web trends and how they apply to web properties that target African-Americans or African-American culture." Basically, they want to highlight the role of African-Americans in the technology industry. This is often a group that gets overlooked, and I think that it is an interesting field to draw attention to. Check it out here if you are so inspired by this post.

On another note, Peter and I are preparing a fabulous presentation on user audiences for tomorrow. I've never been more excited about anything than I am to share all of my research with the class. Ok, that is a blatant lie, but here are some of our discussion questions to get you in the mood...What do you think the benefits are of having separate sites for different groups of people (minority groups or age groups)? Are they necessary? Are there enough of them out there? Would you use them?

Black Search Engines...What UP

As you know, I am completely dedicated to exploring the world of African Americans online, so I decided it was time to branch out from Black Voices, and look for other information. I did a little googling and came across an article titled "Do African-Americans Need a Separate Search Engine?" It was posted on Advertising Age a little over a year ago, and is pretty self explanatory from the title. I thought it was very interesting because I would never think that different races need to have different search engines, but apparently that is something that the Black community wants. The article mentioned one site, "rushmoredrive.com," that shut down after only a year. It was a Black search engine that was somewhat controversial because some people thought it was segregating the online community, and it was racist itself. The article explained that a separate search engine is helpful for African American businesses who target Black clientele. Also, people might want to get information that is more specific to them, and it is hard to sort through everything that comes up on Google. However, the internet is supposed to be color-blind, and maybe the issue is that consumers aren't searching for terms that will get them optimal results. This whole process is a little confusing to understand. Obviously, I don't see the need for search engines for every different race because I fancy myself a Google expert. I believe I can find anything that I would want or need on one search engine. However, I could see how it might be helpful for business purposes, but what could make a search engine better or worse? How could a new Black search engine survive when rushmoredrive.com couldn't?

What do you all think? Do we need search engines for every race? What would the benefits be? (This is a free invitation to comment, people. Don't say I never gave you anything)

Sour Grapes

Well, well, well class. We have found the crazy person over on Black Voices. And by we, I mean me...duh. Anyway, I came across a user named "blkgrapes2000." Let me say, she is a real downer. Blkgrapes2000 posts on an assortment of threads, and no one ever responds to a word she says. She posts long rants about things such as Nikes, racism, Mexico's border, and boycotting the Koch brothers (owners of Koch industries, right wing extremists...I did not know this off the top of my head, fear not.). Black Voices shows how many views each thread receives, even if there are no comments. All of Grapes' posts have some views but no responses, which makes me wonder why she would continue to post when she isn't really interacting with anyone. This leads me to ask the following questions:

-What are people actually getting out of message board discussions?
-Is it enough to just post despite not receiving a response?
- What makes someone's posts off-putting enough that no one wants to interact?

Grapes has over 26,000 posts on this site, and 5 followers. What is this possibly doing for her? I feel like she's sort of the community outcast. Sad. I'm really trying to figure out what having a space online for a minority group can do for those in the group, but Grapes kind of shows that the answer might be not much. We'll see. Until next time...

First Practicum Post

For my practicum assignment, I was given Minority groups. Either I blacked out while signing up for projects or did not actually rank this project, but c'est la vie. The reason I bring up this grievance is because I am a little confused as to how I should go about this project. Considering the premise of this assignment is to determine how a minority group uses the internet, I feel like this could turn out a tad bit racist. There is no way to go about this project other than generalizing and stereotyping almost. If anyone has any advice for how to handle this, shoot me a comment.

Anyway, despite my concerns for this project, I obviously chose to look at African Americans internet usage. I have found two different blogs/forums so far that I have signed up for--one is called Chocolate City and the other is called Black Voices So far, I've just been scoping out the scene and seeing what kinds of discussions take place on the boards, what information is most popular, and what kinds of links the sites provide. On Black Voices, the boards include forums on hair, education, film, health, money, parenting, and my personal favorite, Rants. I decided that I would start looking at rants. I came across an interesting post called "Stop Talking White." I thought that it was interesting that many responders were concerned with how the threat to "stop talking white" from fellow African Americans makes them their own worst enemies. A lot of posters were annoyed that it is even referred to as "talking white." One person said to those who believe in "talking white" that they are "their own slave." This is very intriguing to me because they are confronting stereotypes and showing how they bring about many of them themselves. This shows how there are many different "types" of people within the black community--and their opinions are conflicting.

So far, it appears that they use the internet to voice their opinions, and perhaps to get on the same page. They discuss issues that they have with stereotypes and such, but also issues that they have with others in their race. We'll see what else I can find out later...

Links:
http://conversations.blackvoices.com/rant/575e20364fc942e6937fd7ccb9633d19/stop-talking-white/42b69ad912814fe898c895e0326ec69b

http://www.chocolatecity.cc/