My panel for SXSWi 2009: “Can the Afrosphere Survive the Age of Obama?”
Posted on | January 14, 2009 | 18 Comments
I am soooo excited! My panel for South by Southwest Interactive 2009 has been approved!
Overview:
The presidency of Barack Obama will have far-reaching ramifications for politics, society, and even black identity in America. Websites such as BlackWeb2.0.com, the Blackbird browser, and a myriad of bloggers both target and ally themselves with the black blogosphere, often referred to as the “Afrosphere”. The question must be asked: In the new Age of Obama, will an “afro-centric web” begin to fade into, simply, “the web”?
10 Questions to be covered during the panel:
- Will the expected shift in racial relations under Obama’s presidency lead to a shift in awareness about racial identity on the web?
- Many people reacted to the release of the Blackbird browser with “why?”. Does anyone feel like that about the so-called “Afrosphere”?
- What trends do you see with the presence of african-americans on the web if any?
- What are your hopes for the future of the Afrosphere?
- Has being known as “black” professional per se been harmful/helpful in your career in the web industry or otherwise? Both? Neither?
- People in various industries have often hoped to be known for who they are and what they do, without their racial identity “coloring” people’s perceptions. On the web, one can remain anonymous if desired, and only judged by the quality of the work they do. What do you see as the pros and cons of approach?
- Certainly there will always be a need for building and maintaining “community”. Do you anticipate a future shift or change in virtual communities?
- Do you feel that over the course of time, that culturally, the need to identify with being black is not as strong?
- Many folks like to point out that african-americans are not a monolithic group. However, on the web (as in real life), the irony is that there is a “community” while there is no single community. Would anyone like to expand on that idea?
- Let’s fast forward 8-10 years into the future. Certainly, there will be seismic shifts with what the web is and how it is being used that no one can accurately predict. Despite that, do you have any speculations on where culture, community, and racial identity will be at that time? Dystopic view? Utopic view?
The panel is scheduled to be on Monday, 16 March 2009, although the time slot is yet unknown.
I have some really great panelists lined up so far:
- Liz Burr, of lizburr.com – blogger and social media genius
- Markus Robinson, Managing Editor at BlackWeb20.com
- Yvette Ferry, of Ferry and Company
Cecily Walker is a potential panelist, and I am still waiting to hear back from two others as well.
I hope to generate a great discussion!
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About
Denise R. Jacobs is an author, speaker, presenter, and educator on many things web.
