Does a Race have a brand?

September 9, 2009

The tag

My rant
I can’t take it anymore, I just looked at the trending topics on Twitter and number one is #uknowublackwhen and the tweets that flowing in at an alarming rate are TERRIBLE! Most of the tweets are racist, stereotypical and appalling. To some they may be funny but to me they’re not. It just shows to others that we need to learn some online etiquette ASAP!

Why is this a problem?
In my world, I talk with businesses about protecting their brand, building content and how to use social media to communicate with potential costumers. Businesses are now looking at potential employees on Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin profiles before they think about hiring them. Do you see where I’m going with this? I’ve been seeing trending hashtags on twitter such as #3wordsaftersex and more and I know all of the tweets are NOT by African-Americans but majority of them are. So if you’re wondering why I’ve been tweeting “be careful what you tweet” that’s why.

I can’t take it anymore
For me this blog post rant has been building up for some time. As one of the very few African-Americans on Twitter since 2006 – and I used to be in the top 100 Twitter users before all of the rappers and NBA players arrived – I feel as though I have a “little” authority to talk about the situation. Sadly I saw this coming and if you want to go on the “who gives you a right to judge” route, I understand but I’ve seen a lot of things happening in the Twitter space in the last 8 months that I’m not happy about. The #uknowublackwhen hashtag just topped the cake for me.

Where are you?
In the “tech” bubble it’s a hard space to compete in or just to get noticed. There’s very few African-Americans in the technology space and we’re consistently trying to prove our value; that we belong here too. You don’t know how many events I’ve attended where I’m the only African-American person in the room. I’m used to it by now as I’ve been in the technology industry since 1996 but sometimes I look around and I wonder where; are the other minorities? Are they not interested in technology/blogging/social media?

It is good to know others are trying to do something about it. Read: The Future of White Boy clubs from Chris Messina

I looked for you and now this?
There was even a time in 2007 when I went on a search to find more African-Americans on Twitter because there weren’t many. I did find @JaysonFlint @dj_diva @jbrotherlove and a few more. But now with Twitter going main stream, and Hip-Hop artist and black/urban entertainment using Twitter, there is no short list of African-Americans online.

Can a Race have a voice?
Something I talk about when doing consulting is understanding the community and establishing your own voice online and this goes for individuals and not just businesses. But what about a Race? What’s our voice or personal brand? Is it hip-hop, sports, rims or chicken? As a race we’re online creating content but what kind of content? Do we have be the ones online always arguing, creating provocative content, degrading one another? Then we have the audacity to go after others when we’re the ones hurting ourselves the most. It’s like telling cops to stop killing black people when we need to tell black people to stop killing black people.

Who’s influencing who and the problem?
In the past two weeks I’ve been asked about why is there is a lack of diversity in social media or diversity in the leaders of the social media space. We are out here but just hard to find and I think not “attractive” enough to grab your attention. A few are @Abenton @lynneluvah @jsmooth995 @corvida @rahsheen But I try to hold my tongue when I see music artists now doing keynotes at social media conferences when there are so many others out there who are qualified to talk – and no I’m not talking about Hammer, he’s cool. If you look at who’s educating the majority of African-Americans using social media like I said earlier, its the entertainment industry and we all know how most urban/hip-hop music is. 90 percent of it is negative with songs like “blame it on the alcohol”, and “jerk”, you take that and start talking and having conversations on sites like Facebook and Twitter – it’s a hot mess.

Again, I don’t want to be like I’m judging at all but I’m begging for celebrities, music artists, athletes and the like to please think about having some sort of online etiquette when having conversations with the general public.

Is there a solution?
I hope so? I’ve had conversations with a few friends about having a conference directly for minorities on social networking etiquette and we’ll see how that goes. Also there is the BarCamp Diversity idea. Although I think it comes down to people with followings and influence to educate others in a positive way – but in the mean time …. #THINKBEFOREYOUTWEETPEOPLE!

I’m done . . . for now. Your thoughts?

This is a guest post by Wayne Sutton, the article originally appeared on SocialWayne.com

Category: Diversity, web 2.0 | Tags: Exclusion, Inclusion, Race Branding, social media, Social Networking and Race, Technology, twitter, Twitter Trending Topics, wayne sutton

Guest

Great post! As a brand builder for former corporate clients and now a multicultural marketing consultant, you take on brand ahving a race is oh so relevant. I started watching the words of you and several others that you mention earlier this year. And, I as I connect corporate brands to multicultural audience builders, I am certainly looking to point them to experts such as yourself, Angela and Corvida!

Tiffany

So if black people didn't start trending topics on Twitter called #uknowublackwhen, white people would stop tweeting racist, offensive things?

By golly, if we just acted right all the time and everywhere because white people are watching, why we could erase racism overnight!

Needless to say I disagree with this premise that "If blacks / gays / latinos / women / other oppressed group did XYZ, then the majority would think we are awesome and stop oppressing us." Doesn't work in the real world. Won't work on Twitter.

pinder

I completely agree with Tiffany. So what, some people are making jokes on Twitter. It happens...and it happens a lot.

Personally, as a black man in IT, I really could care less.

Marlena

Interesting post.

Guest

You speaking the truth brother... I'm ashamed what we have become as a race at this time... Embracing negativity while allowing these entertainers, yes hip hoppers to dictate who we are...

tonibradshaw01

Thanks for sharing this commentary! We should all be thinking "personal" brand and what can be done to position our "personal" brand in an effort to achieve our personal and/or professional goals. If this approach is taken I don't think our brand as a race would even be an issue.

The problem is most users of social media don't have a clue...so education on social etiquette would be a start to changing how AA's in particular are using social media.

Guest

Hey Wayne. @kyraocity here and thanks for your post. Funny I have been working on discussing race as a "brand" for human beings since developing a TED Talk as a 2009 TED Fellow this year. My project is called RACISM AS A RESOURCE (YIMBY). =-O
Love the image of all the social media innovators. I participated and blogged about the #thatsafrican Twitter thread that caused Twensorship on Twitter. People are so uncomfortable with conversations of race/racism and they keep saying the same things or reacting the same way which is producing the same if not more results = more racism. Hmmm. Perhaps we should look at how we've been approaching this thing a bit more and stop trying to change somethign we clearly haven't got a grip on yet. But you ain't hear it from me. =-X

Just finished teaching a morning class in Black Studies titled THE EVOLUTION AND EXPRESSIONS OF RACISM (love that title!). I had a class of 35 students sit in a circle sorted by skin color. Then I gave the darker section the itemized list by Peggy McIntosh on White Privilege and gave a lighter section of the circle the book NIGGER by Randall Kennedy and had them read p. 17-20. They alternated between the two readings and segments of the racial spectrum. It was amazing. I am out to teach them how structural racism works on the local level but is constructed through laws and practices that everyday people even innocent children uphold.

Race may be a pigment of our imagination but resisting conversations of race/racism has more to do with how we talk and converse than skin color itself. But all this translates into very real privilege as the film TRACES OF THE TRADE generously reveals among an elite family whose ancestors owned more slaves than many other "property owners" of the past.

More to come on this given reactions to Obama on some many levels.

LaVeda H. Mason

I don't have much to add, except to give an AMEN!

iluvblackwomen

That is an interesting question something that Wayne and i have talked about over the course of my short life on Twitter almost 1 year in 2 weeks it will be 1 year. I am iluvblackwomen on twitter along with whatblkmenthink, kulturefirst, urbanlitreview and other Black oriented Brands. I make money marketing strictly to African Americans and i have Major Black Brands for whom i manage their online social media presence. So i would definitely answer YES Race is a Brand!

However i would also say that like Football for instance you cant control what 1 or a bunch of ppl do that impacts negatively on your Brand if that Brand is generic and broad like BLACK or Football. You have your great days like when President Barack Obama spoke during his campaign on RACE or after the presidential debates. Then you have your bad days like during and after the BET Awards. That is why i tweet furiously against negative images that impact on my BRAND ie: BLACK and that is also why i promote ppl and things that are GREAT like @elonjames and his @weekinblackness and The Week In Blackness Youtube Channel.

I get the feeling that some feel twitter is becoming BlackPlanetish or Myspaceish to that i say it is a part of growth. I also believe strongly in the freedom of the INTERNET so while there are ppl wilding out in the middle of the day making negative/embarassing trending topics; the freedom of the internet allows ppl like me to combat that. I just wish that more Black Brands would take the protection of the Brand seriously. Some days it feels like its just me and blackweb20 LOL :)