Hip hop headz and digital equity: A descriptive study of Internet usage by African American male college students

The purpose of this study is to begin to build a body of knowledge to address an important research issue: how to assess the relevance of culturally specific information technology for the African American male. Hip Hop Culture and the Internet are two of the most influential phenomena of the past 25 years. Does Hip Hop Culture influence Internet usage of African American male college students? This study examined the Internet usage of African American male college undergraduates who participate in Hip Hop Culture. Specifically, this study investigated how African American male college students interact with the Internet to obtain Hip Hop Culture to gratify their desire for culturally related content.; The uses and gratifications approach was coupled with Ludenic (play) theory to create a theoretical framework for the study. This framework allowed the researcher to differentiate the roles of interactivity and play in both Hip Hop Culture and the use of the Internet. This framework facilitated this researcher's empirical assessment of the expectations, needs, and uses and gratifications of the African American male college students in this study.; The methodology involved the use of focus groups of African American male undergraduate college students. Some were selected from participants in the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC) Summer Research Opportunity Program (SROP), who are from various Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Other African American male subjects were selected from a predominately white midwestern institution (PWI).; The data from the focus group sessions were examined with the assistance of the statistical program CatPac (Category Package). This program employs cluster analysis and multidimensional scaling (MDS). CatPac statistical software was used to analyze the subjects' perceptions of the influence of Hip Hop Culture on their Internet usage as well as the uses and gratifications of their Internet usage. The focus group summary method was applied to the focus groups' conversational transcripts to complement the quantitative analysis of CatPac.; This study pioneers a culturally specific approach as an intervention strategy to narrow the digital divide. The results of the study indicate that Hip Hop Culture does influence the subjects' use of the Internet. Results also indicate that content can be the driver, even when connectivity is an issue. If African American males are to fully participate in the global economy, as well as our national political and social structures, then their levels of Internet use and access must be increased.