In "The Computer Race Goes to Class," Jonathan Sterne argues that the current topography of internet users stems from a long history of differential access to computers, which is rooted in institutional issues of race and class.
Having attended a magnet high school focused on math, science, and technology, many of the parallels between race and computer literacy that Sterne discussed resonated strongly with me. When I was a freshman in high school, less than 50% of our class was Asian. Now, around 60% of the incoming freshmen class is Asian. This drastic increase in the proportion of Asian students has drawn a lot of criticism, and, I believe, rightly so. Various critics have called out the school for its severely under-represented African American and Hispanic student population, stating that the administration cares more about keeping its numbers up than it does about promoting inclusion and diversity. If schools are to be seen as a space where new technologies and innovations are implemented in order to increase technological literacy, then inherent differences in schools will affect how this literacy is imparted. I had the privilege of attending a school that not only had a strong technology focus, but also had the resources and staff to impart the knowledge needed to hone our technological literacy. However, if such a school is not race or class-blind in its admissions, differential access rooted in raced-based differences becomes the main problem.
Growing up, I have always been aware of a connection between Asians and careers in science, math, and technology. In high school, most of my male Asian friends studied computer science or math; now, most of them work for technology-based companies. There is an obvious stereotypes that Asians are "good at" math and science, and perhaps this stereotype works in their favor. In this article, an Asian male who graduated from MIT discusses how the stereotype of the Asian programmer saved him from being exposed to "micro-inequities" and micro-aggressions that would have hindered his desire to pursue computer science. He cites various instances in which "the privilege of implicit endorsement" saved him from looking clueless and gave him a leg up in the job search compared to his peers. Although many of my fellow Asian friends talk about the pressures that come with being a "model minority," there is very little mention of the inherent privileges that come with belonging to our race.
This brings me to my next point: that, as Sterne points out, the fallacy that racial differences cease to exist if we don't talk about them is not only completely misguided, but also harmful. On the surface, it may seem that the internet is a race-less medium that transcends our racial reality. However, ignoring a problem has never been the solution. If we don't talk about issues of race, class, or sex on the internet, then we are doing ourselves a great disservice by missing out on the potential of a tremendous forum for discussion of such important issues. One of the greatest feature of the internet, and computers in general, is the power that it gives us to communicate with an infinitely large audience. We are able to engage in open discussions with individuals from a variety of backgrounds, and, by doing so, expand and challenge our own viewpoints. Awareness of any injustice is the first and essential step in bringing about progress. Thus, rather than use the internet as a means of shying away from such issues, we need to embrace its potential for being a vehicle of change.
Having attended a magnet high school focused on math, science, and technology, many of the parallels between race and computer literacy that Sterne discussed resonated strongly with me. When I was a freshman in high school, less than 50% of our class was Asian. Now, around 60% of the incoming freshmen class is Asian. This drastic increase in the proportion of Asian students has drawn a lot of criticism, and, I believe, rightly so. Various critics have called out the school for its severely under-represented African American and Hispanic student population, stating that the administration cares more about keeping its numbers up than it does about promoting inclusion and diversity. If schools are to be seen as a space where new technologies and innovations are implemented in order to increase technological literacy, then inherent differences in schools will affect how this literacy is imparted. I had the privilege of attending a school that not only had a strong technology focus, but also had the resources and staff to impart the knowledge needed to hone our technological literacy. However, if such a school is not race or class-blind in its admissions, differential access rooted in raced-based differences becomes the main problem.
Growing up, I have always been aware of a connection between Asians and careers in science, math, and technology. In high school, most of my male Asian friends studied computer science or math; now, most of them work for technology-based companies. There is an obvious stereotypes that Asians are "good at" math and science, and perhaps this stereotype works in their favor. In this article, an Asian male who graduated from MIT discusses how the stereotype of the Asian programmer saved him from being exposed to "micro-inequities" and micro-aggressions that would have hindered his desire to pursue computer science. He cites various instances in which "the privilege of implicit endorsement" saved him from looking clueless and gave him a leg up in the job search compared to his peers. Although many of my fellow Asian friends talk about the pressures that come with being a "model minority," there is very little mention of the inherent privileges that come with belonging to our race.
This brings me to my next point: that, as Sterne points out, the fallacy that racial differences cease to exist if we don't talk about them is not only completely misguided, but also harmful. On the surface, it may seem that the internet is a race-less medium that transcends our racial reality. However, ignoring a problem has never been the solution. If we don't talk about issues of race, class, or sex on the internet, then we are doing ourselves a great disservice by missing out on the potential of a tremendous forum for discussion of such important issues. One of the greatest feature of the internet, and computers in general, is the power that it gives us to communicate with an infinitely large audience. We are able to engage in open discussions with individuals from a variety of backgrounds, and, by doing so, expand and challenge our own viewpoints. Awareness of any injustice is the first and essential step in bringing about progress. Thus, rather than use the internet as a means of shying away from such issues, we need to embrace its potential for being a vehicle of change.