Race In Cyberspace

In this story the author really talks about how we lose our race on the internet. This happens, because when we go to our computers, we immediately go into another world. We go into a world in which we lose our sense of sight. We do not become blind, because it is still necessary to look at the computer screen. Instead, we lose sight of race, and our first impression of people. The way that a computer works is not like people. A computer takes what we think, requires us to translate it into text, and then transports that text to another person. The only thing that is transferred is the language, and the verbal communication. Since a large percentage of communication is nonverbal, a large percentage of the message is not sent, or received. Therefore, when we type on the internet, smaller, more subtle clues are the things that people strive on to construct race.
This argument is very true. When we speak to our friends online, it’s much harder to re-construct race, because we can imagine one another’s mannerisms. We can imagine the facial expression that your best friend would have, if you told him/her that you were pregnant. Not because of the immaculate communication on the internet, but instead because of the relationship that is there. An attempt at such a relationship is made, when it comes to the virtual identities. When people are made to make a character that represents them online, that has true facts. Usually an “avatar” goes along with such an image. An avatar is a image, usually a cartoon that is expected to have the person’s race represented in it. Usually the things filled out are quick important information, such as age, gender, level of play, and other things. These things are important, but cannot be proven, and does not necessarily need to be true.
In conclusion, race is not totally erased, just hurt greatly. Real people who have jobs, lives, and even familys are reduced to an online persona. A few lines of information that at one glance can be read, and a small picture called an avatar. No one online knows for sure who it is, even if someone tells the whole truth, if that person were to let a relative sign in under the same name, people on the internet would be confused because they would know no different.