Secure in their Britishness, Black Caribbean's value the opportunities that Britain affords. As confident independent individuals they can do want they want, go as far as they want, how they want. They are no longer defined by simply being black.
“Does it have to be black British? Can’t it just be British?
Young black Caribbean’s relationship with TV is a real reflection of what they are into as people rather than being defined by their ethnicity. Personal interest comes before race.
Even for ethnically relevant viewing they tend to choose mainstream over ethnic programming. They would rather watch positive black role models integrated into everyday society, tackling everyday problems rather than specific programming.
Ethnic TV does offer them the chance to see positive black TV role models, but the unrealistic scenarios in typical black programming with a tired comedy format focussed on race, often fail to reflect their world.
For young British Black Caribbeans, ethnic networking plays a secondary role to interest based information gathering when using the internet. Networking in also focussed on looking for others with shared common goals and interests. For example, MySpace and other non ethnic centric sites are more popular than black specific networking site because they focus on shared views as opposed to skin colour
"When I was at uni there weren't as many sites so I used to go on Blackchat, but to be honest it wasn't about colour cause you got all sorts on there, it was about a shared interest"
“Microsoft is an important brand in my life. Nike, Adidas, Nokia and Greggs are brands that I value and consequently would find it hard to live without”
“I value food brands such as Heinz, Birdseye, Kellogg's e.t.c. for food because I know that the taste is good.”
“I support any brand that does what it says on the tin”
"I'm the total opposite to them because of what they used to make me watch"
Parents have no influence over what they watch - bar some of them watching Eastenders with their mum. But it's not necessarily an act of rebellion. They have been brought up to respect and trust their own opinions and attitudes - to be proud to be who and what they are - to make their own decisions.
First and foremost, therefore they embrace their interests as young people.
They feel obliged to watch what their parents desire of them, rather than watch through personal choice.
Although not particularly loyal to any channel, channel 4 does get the thumbs up. It’s thought to be a bit more daring and provocative and really understands the youth market.
Its better than the other channels in regards to racial representation and breaking down racial stereotypes, but not quite there yet
“A lot of the programmes or films on channel 4 are quite controversial and about big issues …you know they’re willing to put in little racial issues and kinds of things that I find interesting”
