THE INTERNET: WHAT DO AFRICAN AMERICANS REALLY WANT?
From BlackWeb 2.0
November 17, 2010
This is a question that Ifve tried to answer at several several times during my career and countless other media brands and entrepreneurs have as well. As the Internet becomes a part of the everyday lives of more people each day, The African-American audience has continued to pose unique challenges and opportunities. First letfs look at some key numbers
¡Less than 50% of African Americans have broadband Internet in their homes. As frustrating as that number is, it also presents a growth opportunity.
¡Mobile use by African Americans is outpacing any other ethnic group
Those two data points alone show we are both active and have huge room for growth. However what are we looking for the Internet to give us? People tend to say they want one thing, but data around which sites actually perform well tells a different story.
¡African-American oriented topics trend on Twitter more often than any others.
¡African Americans often speak about wanting diversity in their content choices but the lionfs share of us gravitate to gossip and entertainment sites.
¡African Americans often complain that black media brands are not giving them digital options, but when they do, they are received with less than stellar numbers. ( i.e. Ebony and Black Enterprise iPad apps)
So I ask the question. What are we looking for? Itfs important for us to answer truthfully because the digital divide is not closing. Actually Some signs point to the fact that a digital underclass is forming and I donft want it to be comprised of our people. So the answer is important for the black media brands who need to reinvent themselves for the future. It is important for the the entrepreneurs eager to successfully serve this market. More importantly, itfs necessary for the people who are in that remaining 50% percent who need reasons to adopt broadband and the Internet into their lives. They need to see the relevance and push themselves to take that step. So Ifm interested to hear from you in the comments. Letfs Go!
November 17, 2010
This is a question that Ifve tried to answer at several several times during my career and countless other media brands and entrepreneurs have as well. As the Internet becomes a part of the everyday lives of more people each day, The African-American audience has continued to pose unique challenges and opportunities. First letfs look at some key numbers
¡Less than 50% of African Americans have broadband Internet in their homes. As frustrating as that number is, it also presents a growth opportunity.
¡Mobile use by African Americans is outpacing any other ethnic group
Those two data points alone show we are both active and have huge room for growth. However what are we looking for the Internet to give us? People tend to say they want one thing, but data around which sites actually perform well tells a different story.
¡African-American oriented topics trend on Twitter more often than any others.
¡African Americans often speak about wanting diversity in their content choices but the lionfs share of us gravitate to gossip and entertainment sites.
¡African Americans often complain that black media brands are not giving them digital options, but when they do, they are received with less than stellar numbers. ( i.e. Ebony and Black Enterprise iPad apps)
So I ask the question. What are we looking for? Itfs important for us to answer truthfully because the digital divide is not closing. Actually Some signs point to the fact that a digital underclass is forming and I donft want it to be comprised of our people. So the answer is important for the black media brands who need to reinvent themselves for the future. It is important for the the entrepreneurs eager to successfully serve this market. More importantly, itfs necessary for the people who are in that remaining 50% percent who need reasons to adopt broadband and the Internet into their lives. They need to see the relevance and push themselves to take that step. So Ifm interested to hear from you in the comments. Letfs Go!
There are two aspects to this. One is what we could call computer literacy. But at a more fundamental level there is computer science, which makes all the rest possible. I am working with a program called Scratch, developed by MIT. It is for teaching children from 8 years old and up how to program. Anyone (yes, the adults too) can download this program and see for themselves the potential it has. I suggest this is an excellent way to introduce children to creating, and not just using the technology. Give it a try. I have a niece and nephew I am going to teach with this, to start with.
http://scratch.mit.edu/