Summary of Chapter 4 of Unspun - Race

Many people claim that the web is completely colorblind because users cannot see each other. Thsi is proven wrong by many search engines or "portals." Many people who use the internet are overwhelmed my the large ammount of information that is out there. In order to get a grip on things, they may use a portal to organize the "unbounded text" that is the Web.

In Lisa Nakamaura's experiment the portal provided no information on human culture when she searched the word "race." She had to seach "racial" to get to a page which allowed her to click through specific catagories. However, this system only allowed her to click one catagory at a time which forced the user to define themself in very limited and secific terms. However, these terms did not fully reflect the identites of web users. Also, the portal did not include "white" as a possible choice. In a way, it assumes that the user is white, since the majority of internet users are indeed, white males.

Although portals may be a little off when it comes to race issues, gender and racial diveristy on the web is growing. Most users are still white upper class men but many other groups are gaining access. Nakamaura says that the web is a place where race "happens and is consturcted." What should the user do if they do not fit the categories presented by the portal? There is a large need for expanded access for minorities to the internet. Although in theory, the web is a "raceless" place, it may never really blur the lines of reality and make beleive.