Today, it is common for universities to use digital platforms like Blackboard and Canvas, making most aspects of school, aside from classes, completely digital. If those platforms were to go away, how would that impact the way Black students read, or would they be affected at all?
“It wouldn’t change much; I guess it would be harder to access certain readings for class,” Jazelle Swope said. While the lack of digital platforms would present some challenges, those challenges wouldn’t be related to leisurely reading, according to Swope. “...if it’s just for entertainment, it’s not going to be hard at all,” she said.
Black students do a lot of reading online because it’s essentially the only way to access assigned readings, not because it is their preferred method. Because young Black readers grew up as digital platforms became increasingly essential to day-to-day life, it is often assumed that they prefer digital platforms, but that’s clearly not the case.
While it is encouraging to see Black readers so determined to read by any means, it is worth noting that the transition would most likely be harder than they think. As mentioned earlier, young Black readers don’t really know a world without digital platforms, so why do they believe they would be fine without them? The truth is that digital tools are deeply embedded in the lives of young readers, and there is a need for balance between both digital and physical reading.
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