Black Americans are turning to the Internet to express their opinions about topics that aren't discussed in the mainstream media, according to a paper published by a Penn State researcher.
The anonymous nature of blog posting makes some people more comfortable talking about taboo issues over the Internet, said Associate Information Sciences and Technology (IST) professor Lynette Kvasny.
Kvasny and IST doctoral degree recipient C. Frank Igwe analyzed opinions posted on a black blog in their paper, titled "An African-American Weblog Community's Reading of AIDS in Black America," which was published in the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication in April.
The two analyzed comments posted from Aug. 24-29, 2006, on a predominantly African-American blog in response to a news story on ABC network about HIV/AIDS and the black community.
"It's a blog that we both read, not in a scholarly way, but as part of our normal Web surfing," Kvasny said.
The researchers were interested in what the bloggers were saying and how they were saying it, Kvasny said, adding that every ethnic community has its own ways of speaking.
The researchers wanted to translate what the black bloggers were saying into a scholarly paper, she said.
"When I read the comments, it brought me back to talking to my aunts or my girlfriends," she said, adding, "they were using emoticons, 'lol' and slang. ... It's a very serious topic, but they use slang."
The Internet has now become a more widely used forum for the black community to have discussions, Kvasny said.
"Historically, [discussions] may have taken place in churches or barbershops," but now people are doing it online, she said.
The discussion about HIV/AIDS often contains topics people feel uncomfortable talking about, such as unprotected sex and drug use, Kvasny said.
However, bloggers Kvasny analyzed said they enjoyed being able to talk about the taboo topic.
Bloggers took issue with some ways in which HIV/AIDS is depicted in the media.
One issue brought up by the bloggers was that while religious figures have long been an important part of the black community, they have largely stayed silent on the issue of HIV/AIDS.
Lately, discussion about HIV/AIDS have seemingly focused more on Africa than the United States, the paper states.
Some bloggers complained celebrities often go on high-profile trips to Africa to publicize HIV/AIDS research, but they don't pay the same kind of attention to Americans living with the virus, Kvasny said.
A possible reason less attention is paid to HIV/AIDS in America may be that testing and treatment are more available than they were years ago, Simon Holowatz, community health educator at University Health Services (UHS) said.
"People are still scared about it, but it's not the same. They know there are accurate tests; they know the blood supply is safe, " he said.
The Internet is a distinct form of media because it allows people to search out content that applies more directly to them, Penn State communications professor Mary Beth Oliver said.
"The audience is now the consumer and creator of content," she said.
