Introduction
The growth of Information Communications Technology in the last decade has ensured many people access to computers. In the developed world especially North America and Western Europe, access to computers by households is almost 100% whereas access to computers in the third world especially Africa is low.
Different races therefore have varying rates of access to computers by virtue of residing in those places. It is safe therefore to say that black people of Africa have the lowest access rate to ICT in the entire world.
In the developed world for instance the US where the population comprises many people of different races, the access rates to computers are not similar. In the US, African Americans and Latinos have the lowest access rate to computers compared to Caucasian Americans.
The disparity that exists in scenarios such as the above is more or less influenced by the economic status of the communities. Their attitudes therefore are shaped by the prevalent situations as far as access to Information Technology is concerned.
Attitudes and views on computer technology by different races will form the subject matter of this paper. Besides, the paper will tackle the effect of race on how people may evaluate the ethical impacts of computer technology.
It is safe to argue that the term computer ethics is somehow limited in its use in the era of ICT. Cyber ethics has been fronted by scholars as the right term to use. However, for purposes of definition, this paper will stick to the use of computer ethics. Though the ethics are universal, people of different races expose them to diverse versions.
That interpretation and how it affects the ethics of computer technology will form the second part of this paper.
Attitudes
There is a significant difference in the access and ownership of personal computers and access to computers between white people and black people. The differences no doubt come from influence the impact that race has on computing.
According to Donna, L. Hoffman and Thomas, P. Novak of Vanderbilt University, white people, 27.2% are more likely to own a home computer and a personal computer compared to black people 16.7%.
On the other hand, black people are more likely to states that they will acquire a home computer in the near future (3). The same trend is seen in internet access where more whites are likely to have used the web compared to African Americans (6).
According to Mossberger et al, income, education and occupation do affect the attitudes adopted by different races in regard to Computers and ICT (6).
However, differences in motivation and cultural perceptions did play a big role in the differences exhibited on the access of computers between blacks, whites and Latinos.
The feeling here is that besides the economical restriction imposed on African Americans and Latinos, a significant number in their populations don’t deem as important the use of computers and access to the net.
However, there is another interesting twist to the effect of race on the digital divide and the resulting attitudes. According to Karen Mossberger et al quoting Mossberger et al, “African Americans and Latinos have a more positive attitude towards computer technology compared to Caucasians of similar situations” (2).
This despite the former two authors being at the lower end of the digital divide in the US. They further add that the positive attitudes are distributed across multiple topics especially among African Americans.
The attitude among Americans, according to Mossberger et al, is that computers are necessary in order to keep up with time. Latinos and African Americans are likely to agree with statements such as the above than whites of the same situation.
Mossberger et al further say that African Americans contend that one needs computer skills to progress. They are also more likely to learn new computer skills than white people.
In another setting, Mossberger reveals that African Americans are more likely to use an online service in job search compared to whites. In another development, African Americans are likely to defer the use of the internet and are likely not to use it presently but plan to use it “some other day”.
Economic status can be used to explain the view on computer technology by the above races. Data collected by the National Census Bureau suggest that African Americans and Latinos rank lower than whites, economically.
The low ranked races therefore express overwhelming desire to learn about computer technology compared to whites who already have it. The low levels of penetration among Blacks and Latinos have generated a sense of urgency among these communities.
On the other hand, there seems to be complacence on the part of whites. The complacent attitude is either due to the availability of the technology and services to the white population or high levels of contentment with what they have.
Ethics
Computer ethics are basically the moral rules governing computer technology and profession. The need for computer ethics arises because there is a vacuum created by the absence of laws governing computer technology (Stamatellos 2).
According to Bynum et al, the inequalities that exist between different races may result in the misuse of information technology (182). Ethics require that all people in spite of their culture, gender and race have the same opportunity to share and benefit from the use of ICT resources.
In most cases however, the above does not happen. The aggrieved races therefore tend to have a skewed view on ethics and in some cases they may disregard them.
The impact of race on computer ethics is somehow subtle. Every participant in the computer technology world expects equal treatment and access to the resources.
The positive sentiments expressed by different races about computer technology can be interpreted to mean an acknowledgement of the importance of these ethics by these communities. The positive sentiments endorse the view that these communities who have a history of segregation may be warming up to computer technology as a tool to express and emancipate themselves (Webster 96).
Given that there is increased anonymity associated with the internet; people of all races have embraced it as a tool for expression and an important tool in communicating with authorities.
Misuse of computer technology presents a major challenge in the upholding of the ethics that govern this industry. The internet for instance is laden with thousands of hate messages targeting different races.
The anonymity associated with the internet is particularly the chief contributing factor. There is no data however to suggest that a particular race has a negative view of computers and the technology associated with it due to misrepresentation of facts about their respective races. It is safe therefore to conclude that most people regardless of race uphold cyber ethics on consideration of the broader benefits.
Works Cited
Bynum, Ward et al. Computer ethics and professional responsibility. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 2004. Web.
Hoffman, Donna and Novak, Thomas. Bridging the Digital Divide: The Impact of Race on Computer Access and Internet Use. 1998. Hoffman and Novak co-direct Project 2000. Web.
Mossberger, Karen et al. Race, Place, and Information Technology. 2006: Urban Affairs Review, Vol. XX, No. X, Sage Publications. Web.
Stamatellos, Giannis. Computer ethics: A global perspective. Jones & Bartlett Learning. N.d. Webster, Frank. Web.
Culture and politics in the information age: a new politics? New York: Routledge-Taylor& Francis Group. Web.