Bottom Line, Equal Access is not the same as Equal Participation.

Henry Jenkins, a professor at MIT stated that

Like many white liberals, I had viewed the absence of explicit racial markers in cyberspace with some optimism-seeing the emerging "virtual communities" as
perhaps our best hope ever of achieving a truly color-blind society.

Though race cannot be determined through an email or web address it does not mean the playing ground is equal.

Some have argued that class, rather than race, may be the strongest indicator of who has access-though we need to recognize that in a society where the average black family income is roughly half that of the average white family income, race and class are not easily separable.

What may look like race inequalities are in actuality inequalities in class, which is also known as the digital divide when speaking about Internet connectivity.

Like Jenkins, I have faith in an emerging technological area, mobile technology. Wired Magazine reported that 24% of African American households are cell phone only and in many cases that phone also serves as the only source of an internet connection. Mobile technology is more affordable and prevalent and therefore increases access.