Black Software author on technology’s role in racial justice

Cultural Ownership

Charlton McIlwain discusses the persistent issue of cultural ownership in digital platforms, highlighting how Black culture is often celebrated but not equitably compensated. He notes that while Black creators have historically contributed significantly to online platforms, the value they generate is rarely returned to their communities. McIlwain reflects on a time when Black ownership was more prevalent online, but laments that this has largely disappeared since the late 1990s.

Everywhere, as you mentioned, you see black culture, you see the celebration of that culture. You see the ways in which black culture powers social media platforms and everything else. But I don't think we found the way to create real value in a sense of, or a means by which black folks largely stand to benefit from the profits of that.

--- Charlton McIlwain

The challenge remains to find ways to ensure that Black creators benefit from the cultural value they produce 1 2.

   

Economic Equity

The conversation shifts to economic equity, focusing on the imbalance between the value users create on digital platforms and the compensation they receive. McIlwain argues that while platforms like Twitter provide a sense of personal value, they fail to offer equitable financial returns for the labor users contribute. He emphasizes the need for mutual recognition of value exchange, where both users and platforms benefit fairly from the content created.

We have to still fight for what we so long have not had, which is that sense of ownership, our ability to build our own thing, our own way, for our own purposes and to our own ends.

--- Charlton McIlwain

This ongoing struggle for ownership and agency is crucial for achieving true economic equity in the digital age 3 4.