Okay, so have you ever visited someone’s page and immediately felt their personality? That happens to me a lot and the best part is before I even read their bio, I can already tell something by the colors, pictures, and music they use. Normally, I think of these choices as making a page look good. However, Carmen Kynard’s “Black Digital-Cultural Imaginations” made me think about how Black digital creativity can communicate identity, culture, and resistance.
More Than Just Colors
One example that stood out to me was Tanisha, who is a student who said she was not creative. Despite this she still coordinated her everyday accessories and outfits in orange and blue which is a creative quality. Kynard helped her recognize that creativity, which Tanisha then brought into her website through those same colors and images of Black women. This made me think about how easily we overlook our own style and creativity. When we choose a hairstyle, decorate our room, or just make an Instagram post these are all ways to express ourselves. We don’t realize by doing all of these things, we are still being creative. It makes me wonder, Why do we only recognize creativity only when someone gives us an assignment?
Taking Up Space Online
Kynard also describes Black students using images, language, and design to build digital spaces connected to their lives. Their cultural identities become an amazing part of how their schoolwork communicates. For me, this connects to power through the question of who gets to define us. Online, other people can make assumptions about who we are. Creating our own spaces gives us a way to speak for ourselves. All in all this reading gave me a better idea of identity and creativity.
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