{"id":398,"date":"2020-04-05T07:13:17","date_gmt":"2020-04-05T07:13:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nowform.co\/?post_type=journal&p=398"},"modified":"2023-07-26T11:16:29","modified_gmt":"2023-07-26T11:16:29","slug":"gender-sexuality-in-the-digital-age","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nowform.co\/all\/research\/gender-sexuality-in-the-digital-age\/","title":{"rendered":"Gender & Sexuality in the Digital Age"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Technology has allowed us to expose large communities to liberal narratives instantly and effortlessly. By designing more inclusive digital experiences, we can increase social tolerance through mere exposure. With a few lines of code, we can begin to challenge archaic understandings of gender and sexuality, and years of patriarchy. The right digital interventions can even challenge governments to consider a new and transient world order \u2014 what a time to be alive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What does this reform look like in practice? As a digital architect, I work very closely with large enterprises. We were recently approached by one of our banking clients to revamp their customer-facing website. Unsurprisingly, market research showed that Indian banks perform poorly on accessibility and inclusivity. In the digital world, large banking companies rarely have a voice. With more and more companies turning to natural language (conversational copy), a digital persona has become a mandate. Can we find ways to make these personas more inclusive and empathetic? Via social media, blogs, chat interfaces, and on-site content, companies providing essential services can reach millions of users. With the correct language and content, they can help positively change the narrative for marginalised communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Companies employ personas to communicate with their target audience. According to a survey by Jay Walter Thompson Innovation Group<\/a>, 80% of Gen Z (13\u201320 years old \u2014 born between 2006\u20131999) believes that gender no longer defines a person as much as it used to. This shift in gender perception shows a need for institutions to build diverse personas. Brands like IndiGo, Hubspot, and Capital One have shown us that having a point of view humanises companies and thereby instils a sense of trust. By creating inclusive and accessible services, companies can increase their customer base and build brand loyalty. With estimates of the global LGBTQ spending power at $3.6 trillion ($117 billion in India)<\/a>, enterprises have an opportunity to create valuable and lasting alliances by embracing diversity. Capital One is a rare example of how companies can play an essential role in shaping society. According to Kris Dunn & Shane P. Singh, subconscious exposure to diversity can create positive perceptions of diversity. They refer to this normalisation of difference through exposure as pluralistic conditioning<\/a>. For a second, let\u2019s imagine being confronted with a form that puts Ms. before Mr. on a dropdown. Now imagine a dropdown that covers a spectrum of genders (HSBC is one of the few banks which provides ten gender-neutral title options). What about a form that allows you to include two parents of the same gender? Or photographic content that celebrates diversity? For an American same-sex couple settled in India, this is good user experience. For a teenager in rural India, struggling with their identity, this is recognition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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