Tech-savvy youth and not so tech-savvy non-youth have played an integral role in the lack of progress that we’ve made towards becoming post-racial. The internet and various forms of social media are largely responsible for the spread of information as well as misinformation during the Obama-era. The fact that the Obama campaign had YouTube and other social media platforms at their disposal was a contributing factor to his being elected during his two historical terms. They were also contributing factors in his declining favorable poll numbers as well. One such source was mentioned by Everett on page 159, she references the Andrew Breitbart blog that intentionally spread false information. The blatant misinformation that was spread by many organizations under the guise of being legitimate unbiased sources is also evidence of our racial shortcomings. I think that people don’t do their due diligence when reading, and researching topics. If the motives of the producers of websites, were researched then it would possibly stimulate people to question a lot of the racist propaganda that is often being spread on websites and social media platforms under blatantly deceptive GUIs. The investigation of reliable sources is a skill taught in seventh grade. Students are taught to question the motives of the creators and to follow the money trail. Even when research is conducted the thing that frightens me the most is when people read the information that is obviously false or presented out of context and they still choose to believe the false information and spread it.
Work Cited
Nakamura, Lisa, et al. Race after the Internet. Routledge, 2012. “Have We Become Postracial Yet?”
Karma I agree. Research requires reading and so much of what is taught in schools now contradict reading and researching.
I thank God for the years I taught AP Language, because I focused so much on analyzing rhetoric, research, appeals, and just discernment for the material that’s being forced upon you daily.