RACE IN CYBERSPACE - A new focus is emerging concerning issues of race on the
Internet. The thinking has been that race does not exist on the Internet. Academic scholars,
however, are seeing this thinking as both untrue and potentially harmful, actually bringing
about a feeling of "default whiteness" online. According to university professor, Kali Tal,
University of Arizona humanities professor, people who want to be recognized as part of
a minority race are actually singled out if they bring it up. Assistant professor of English at
Sonoma State University and coeditor of "Race in Cyberspace," Lisa Nakamura, believes
that race on the Internet should not be ignored but recognized, citing online chats and
Multi-User-Dungeons (MUDs) as particularly troubling in this regard. Racial minorities
may actually be offended by a chat room member who thinks they are white. Then, if they
identify their race, they may be seen as flaunting it. A conference, called "Race in Digital
Space" is being planned by scholars to address this issue of race on the Internet and will
be held at MIT in the spring. (Chronicle of Higher Education Online, 21 Sept 01. For the
Chronicle Web site go to: http://www.chronicle.com/)