The Internet, Inequality, and Massachusetts’ Black Population

Datablast, January 14, 2016

The Uneven Internet

In a recent report on digital technologies, the World Bank reports that, across economic status, the effects of the Internet are not even. Sometimes hailed as a driver of opportunity, the internet’s influence on development is, in fact, much more complicated: “…while the internet, mobile phones and other digital technologies are spreading rapidly throughout the developing world, the anticipated digital dividends of higher growth, more jobs, and better public services have fallen short of expectations, and 60 percent of the world’s population remains excluded from the ever-expanding digital economy.”

Massachusetts’ Black Population

Scholars from a diverse array of disciplines and institutions collaborated to write a comprehensive report on the attributes of Massachusetts’ black population. In it, they cover an array of fields, including employment, occupation, education, family characteristics, and health indicators. Additionally, the black population is compared to other racial and ethnic groups in the Commonwealth. Sadly, and predictably, the report confirms previous research findings: Massachusetts’ black population is struggling at rates higher than most other groups.