The Digital CultureSHIFT

Part 1: In nearly her opening statement Malkia Cyril shared a few statistics, sharing that Black and Latino communities are more likely to use mobile devices, and younger black people use social media at a higher rate than anyone else. Cyril goes on to explain that so many technological advances have been made by people of color, yet the credit is rarely given. Diversity deserts have been spotted throughout history, and the digital realm is no exception. Cyril described a conference she attended years prior, asking where the women bloggers were. Thanks to awareness and active engagement, there are many women with live blogs to be found across the web. The idea of waiting for the media to tell the right story is disavowed in the reading, as there is a strong platform available for all of us to tell our stories. This means that recognition of this lack of representation is only step one. Step two is making sure others hear you, and you connect with people in your communities who also have the power and interest to amplify the issue. Changes in media have not come about because big media corporations chose a new direction, it's because average people stepped up and started sharing. Another point the panel discussed was social media's investment into people's suffering. Media platforms make money whenever there is a shooting or other horrible event.


Part 2: I was completely unaware and ignorant of the statistics Malkia Cyril shared, and I wonder why those are the case. I fully support the movement to take advantage of the power we have to use our voices. Whether we are allies or directly involved in the issue in question, we have the power to shape the future. In this time the average person has more potential than ever before. We could show someone that they're not alone, or help forward another worthy cause. While many of these causes do tragically fall to the wayside, awareness is not something that can be undone. Even for those social movements that don't make it into a physical space, they have made an impact. Which means they haven't been a waste.