Not so sure

After getting about halfway through "Menu-Driven Identities" by Nakamura, I took a break and sat back in my chair, thinking about what I was reading. Nakamura makes a solid argument about how race is often an overlooked aspect of the Internet, but I'm not entirely sure I agree with all of her points.

Just like a lot of other mediums, the concept of portraying various races and ethnicities in a progressive and effective manner is a common area of controversy that often becomes a source for arguments to be made. Although the accurate portrayal of race is indeed an important thing that undeniably should happen in all sorts of mediums/medias, after reading through Nakamura's argument, my brain felt overwhelmed with all the points she was making about how the Internet as a specific medium is lacking diversity and opportunities for diversity.

Like most technologies today, the Internet is still changing and evolving. Because of our nation's history and background, not all races are on the same page when it comes to modern technologies. When Nakamura brought up Donna Hoffman's argument about how African Americans are misrepresented online, it made me think of how although this is true (with the white male being dominant in today's online world), she also leaves out lower-class whites and other races who are in poverty stricken cultures and can't afford computers to access the web in this country.

There are so many different viewpoints that can be taken with Nakamura's argument in this article, and I can't quite wrap my mind around them all right now, but I do find it interesting how the Internet can be such a strong source of either hiding or actively expressing. Depending on what people do online, race can be seen in a progressive or a digressive way. In the end, the web is still changing. There will always be things we can improve in. And yes, I'm looking forward to discussing this in class tomorrow so I can maybe sort all this out.