Can the Afrosphere Survive the Age of

Obama?

What this all about?

In the new "Age of Obama", will an afro-centric web begin to fade into, simply, "the web"?

Origins

NY Times Magazine article:“Is Obama the Death of Black Politics?”

Brief Chronology• 1993 - the web begins to move into the mainstream

• 1995 - the term "digital divide" was coined to describe "a binary divide between the computer and internet haves and have nots"

• 1995 - NetNoir.com and BlackVoices.com launched

• 1999 - BlackPlanet.com is launched

Brief Chronology

• 2001 - BlackAmericaWeb.com launched

• 2004 - Barack Obama keynote address rocks the Democratic National Convention

• 2005 - "Blogging While Black" panel at sxswi

• 2006 - "Blogging While Black Revisited” panel at sxswi

Brief Chronology• 2007 - "Bridging the Online Cultural Divide" and "The Digital

Ethnorati" panels at sxswi

• 2007 - BlackWeb2.0.com launched

• 2008 - Barack Obama elected President

• 2008 - Blackbird browser released

• 2009 - "Can the Afrosphere Survive the Age of Obama" and “Social Media End Racism" panels at sxswi

GoalStart a conversation

Questions for us?

Send questions to @afrospheresxsw(we’ll monitor them and work them in)

Hashtag: #afrospheresxsw

The End?

If you want to talk more, we’ll be outside in seating area by the windows in the

corner by the rotunda.

Thanks for coming and participating!