Americans Online: Differences in Surfing and Evaluating Race-Targeted Web Site: by Black and White Users

Abstract

This study explored how Black and White viewers browse and evaluate Web sites based on the racial target of the site. The findings demonstrate that, while Blacks do not necessary evaluate Black- and White-targeted sites differently, they do spend more time browsing on and recall more information from a Black-targeted site than they do a White-targeted site. In contrast, White viewers display no differences in their browsing, recall, or evaluation patterns based on the racial target of the Web site. Theoretical implications regarding the psychological mechanisms at work when viewers are exposed to race-targeted sites are discussed.