Hide Ya Kids, Hide Ya Wives: Racial Representation and Viral Videos

Youtube, and similar video sharing sites, have been on an upward spiral for the majority of the 21^st century. The command “Youtube It” is becoming just as recognizable as “Google It” or “Wikipedia It.” The ability for consumers to now be producers (albeit, mostly amateur) has given a lot of people that wouldn’t have previously had a voice, representation on a large scale.  Even when the videos are not captured in a covert way, the internet now serves as a portal to show in California, what was intended only for a select city in Alabama.  Communication is increased, horizons are broadened (optimistically speaking), and we’re able to make connections to other people. However, due to the rapid speed at which a video becomes viral, the time between the creation of the video and the time that millions of people see it is becoming increasingly narrower.  Furthermore, if the star of the video is not the same person posting and sharing it, then their time frame for altering their image is even less great.

This is problematic when you look at the types of images being depicted of African Americans.  In an interesting phenomenon, African Americans have less video posted, yet the type of video is often very similar in tone and somehow acts as an authority for the group as a whole. Video primarily falls into the category of dance/song, arguing/battle, or the most common thug/hood life glamorization or mocking.  Whether the subtext of the video be comedic in nature, or represent something “good” or “bad,” is irrelevant in an overall examining of racial representation in viral videos. Instead, we would have to ask what it is doing for this group’s digital identity. How is effecting or altering their participation in online communities?  For the most part, I would argue that people don’t think twice about laughing at Antoine Dodson, or Latarian Milton and their almost minstrel like performances.  But if both of these acts were filmed by television stations, who chose to put the content on line? Who chose to spread it? What type of reaction are we trying to illicit from the people that watch the video about the subjects?

At the Internet’s creation, there was large discussion on a new digital frontier, something that would work towards eliminating the racial barriers that exist in the physical world. Yes, there is a greater deal of anonymity available online, but this only works if already established stereotypes aren’t in play. As of yet, this just isn’t the reality of the internet, so we have to make conscious decisions about the types of videos we view and the assumptions being made about the people in them.

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