The document discusses how race and ethnicity are portrayed in digital media. It notes that early avatars and online representations often assumed whiteness and misrepresented people of color. While the internet initially offered anonymity, race now influences digital media in more subtle ways. Between the late 1990s and early 2000s, the introduction of graphic avatars allowed for "identity tourism" but initially lacked diversity. The document also discusses the "digital divide" and how lower income and minority groups experience more online racism, as well as how digital media can both promote issues like racism and xenophobia but also be used to discuss race and gender issues.

1. Race and Ethnicity
As expressed in John Hopkins’ Guide to Digital Media

2. The topic of race & ethnicity in Digital Media has been the subject of many
studies, including the ‘whiteness’ of early avatars and the misrepresentation of
people of color on social media platforms.

3. According to Michael Omi and Howard Winant, “Racial categories and the meaning
of race are given concrete expression by the specific social relations and historical
context in which they are embedded,” (2007, 15).
Basically, race is defined by the way it is portrayed in digital media.
In the beginning, the internet held the potential for users to be whoever they wanted
to be, aside from their ethnic identities, in a “utopia of anonymity.” Today, we see
that race influences digital media in more subtle ways.
At first, when users chose not to identify their ethnic background online, ‘whiteness’
was automatically assumed. Writer Lisa Nakamura states that when users chose
to identify themselves by their ethnicity, this was often interpreted as a threat.
Nakamura also coined the phrase, “identity tourism” which is a way to refer to users
constructing online profiles pretending to be another race.

4. Late 1990s-Early 2000s...
Between the late 1990s and the early 2000s, the move to graphic avatars occurred.
Although, at first, their were issues with the lack of variety/color, more diverse
options became available which allowed identit tourism to take place.

5. The Digital Divide:
Activists and scholarly thinkers were afraid that these digital media ad avatars would
cause discourse, especially since many ‘poor’ people and people of color use them. A
large amount of racism occurs via the internet, and it is important not to
marginalize the lower class, rather we should provide them with media literacy.
“It is important to try not to add separation”- Nakamura.
A few more things…
Digital media is not just used to promote racism and separation, it has also been used
in the spreading of sexual misconduct and xenophobia. “The affordance of digital
culture produces new forms of enacting white supremacy,” (Jessie Daniels).
On the opposite side of things, digital media is also used to offer an opportunity to
discuss prevalent race and gender issues (i.e. blogs, forums, digital artwork, etc.).

6. Questions:
Have you ever experienced a racial attack while enjoying social/digital media?
If your ‘followers’ did not have graphic avatars would you automatically assume
they were white? If not, what would you assume?
If you could make one change in digital media, what would it be?