DCentric

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A new Georgetown University study shows that blacks and Latinos are much more likely than whites to learn about and become involved in social causes using social media.

International Business Times reports that the study found:

When it comes to ‘getting the word out,’ African Americans and Hispanics both value Facebook and other social media websites as valuable (58% and 51%, versus only 34% of Caucasians), and believe that supporting causes is easier using these routes.

New Pew Center data also shows that African-American and Latino Internet users are more likely than white Internet users to be on Twitter in the first place: 25 percent of black Internet users are on Twitter, compared to 19 percent of Latino Internet users and 9 percent of white Internet users.

These findings help debunk common stereotypes that social media is mostly used by whites and that communities of color aren’t reached by Facebook and Twitter. However, a digital divide still exists, and minorities are more likely to access the Internet using their mobile devices than a computer. High-speed Internet connectivity is below 40 percent in large swaths of D.C.’s nearly all-black wards.