How diverse is your PLN?
I would say that Twitter is a pretty diverse PLN. The inclusion and diversity Twitter report from September 2019 found that the PLN is increasing representation of women, Black, and Hispanic employees in technical roles, driven by increased diversity recruitment efforts (Brand, 2019). Twitters 2025 vision is to have at least 50% of the global workforce be women and at least 25% of the US workforce be under-represented minorities (2019).
In regards to Twitter demographics, millennials are the most popular age group to be on Twitter; males make up 62% of the global audience; 41% of Twitter users surveyed earn a household income of about $75,000; 42% of U.S users have at least a bachelor’s degree; different ethnic groups (White, Black, Hispanic) using Twitter in the U.S is pretty evenly distributed (Sehl, 2020).
Are you learning from a variety of voices or are you the loudest in the room?
I am definitely learning from a variety of voices as I am following a pretty diverse group of people and companies on Twitter. It’s great to read about all the different initiatives and projects happening around the world as well as all the campaigns that organizations are posting in order to bring awareness to racism and injustice that’s happening in the world. In my opinion, I would love to see organizations and brands go beyond a one-time statement about diversity on social media by integrating diversity, equity and inclusion into their social strategies for the long term.
In order to promote inclusion on Twitter, organizations and brands should provide their users with a purpose for why they should be followed (Moore & Schnellert, 2016, p. 22). It should not be assumed that users know what the goals and visions of a particular company are, instead users should be guided to what it is the company wants to convey out to their audience, shifting away from integration and towards inclusion (p. 22).
Do you participate in a silo of information sharing?
No, I do not believe that I participate in a silo of information sharing. I may be biased to this, but I try to share as much important information as I can whether that be online or to my family and friends in person.
What is a learning outcome of your PLN and how are you ensuring your exposure to diversity and inclusion?
A learning outcome of mine is to become more familiar with Twitter as a whole, since it is my first time using this social media platform, and how I can utilize it and build upon my online professional identity. To broaden my exposure to diversity and inclusion on Twitter, I will follow people and organizations from many different backgrounds, skill sets, race, gender, ethnicity, and education. I will also aim to educate myself more on how to increase my exposure to inclusion and diversity through social media.
References:
Brand, D. (2019). Inclusion & Diversity Report September 2019. Twitter Blog. Retrieved from https://blog.twitter.com/en_us/topics/company/2019/inclusion-and-diversity-report-september-2019.html
Moore, S., & Schnellert, L. (2016). One Without the Other: Stories of Unity Through Diversity and Inclusion. Portage & Mainpress. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/lib/uvic/reader.action?docID=4832579&ppg=11#
Sehl, K. (2020). Top Twitter Demographics That Matter to Social Media Marketers. Hootsuite. Retrieved from https://blog.hootsuite.com/twitter-demographics/