What is Black culture on the internet?

When you do a search for “Black culture” on Yahoo or Google, what do you find? Dissertations on Negritude? Ponderings on the state of Pan-African relations? Yes. At times you will find research, links to repositories of Afrocentricity, and all things historic and academic. You will find digital celebrations of Black culture and positive images of the race. You will find resources, directories, wikis, and databases dedicated to the dark people all over the world.

I sometimes wish that this content was predominant. I wish that this type of content was just as popular, if not more so, than ring tones with lyrics that degrade black queens and pictures of Buffy the Body’s ass cheeks. I wish the photos of our suffering brothers and sisters in the Sudan would be passed around as much as the mp3 of R Kelly’s Ode to why he’s not feeling Ne-Yo. Sometimes it seems that Black pop culture online could be reduced to Kicks, Hair Care, Dances, Ring Tones, Big Booty Girls and Gossip. Oh, and let’s not forget the occasional angry black blogger…folks like me. The Uppity ones.

My Grandpa used to say “Opinions are like assholes…everyone’s got one”. I guess wishes are like that too. So, if you’re going to wish, you might as well wish big cause it’s the huge assholes, the really controversial people who get all of the attention these days, right?. Be radical, not rational and you’ll get lots of attention. To see a future where the characterizations and images of my people online are positive, uplifting, and present a balanced view of our culture is a Big Wish. It may not be realistic, but neither is the hope for equality in America on some levels and we as a people continue to fight for it. When it comes to Black Culture online, we have more fighting left to do. There are more people to challenge with the question, “Is this really who WE are?” There are more fights to pick and more “race cards” to be accused of throwing. There are more protests to promote and websites to boycott. AND there is so much more to be said by US that hasn’t about who WE are. A whole lot is yet to be said about the good, the positive, and the wonderful things that are part of Black culture.

Will Black people have a role in defining the future of Black culture? 

African Americans have a lot of negative things to say about how we are portrayed in media, and many times this is a direct reflection of the fact that do not sit in the seats of power with real ownership of media channels (with a few notable exceptions when it comes to ownership…BET, Oprah, TV One, Tyler Perry). The internet presents an opportunity for Black People to take ownership and shape a medium that in many ways is still defining itself. You may not be able to own a radio or TV station, but you can reach millions with a website. We can effect change through digital mediums…blogs, music distribution, video etc.  We can help to define Black culture for future generations by taking ownership of digital media now.

Hopefully, my wish is your wish. Hopefully, we see the potential for change and uplift.