In an opinion piece produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education, TC’s Ioana Literat, Assistant Professor of Communication, Media & Learning Technologies Design, and Melissa Brough, Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at California State University Northridge, point out that “youth of color and young women are the demographic groups that use social media the most” but are also “the least represented among digital technology developers, who are predominantly adult white males.”

Ioana Literat

Ioana Literat, Assistant Professor of Communication, Media, and Learning Technologies Design (Photo: TC Archives)

“In view of their high use patterns, these groups may be disproportionately affected by the ethical concerns raised by digital technology design — from privacy concerns to discriminatory advertising tactics and more,” write Literat and Brough.

In view of their high use patterns, these groups may be disproportionately affected by the ethical concerns raised by digital technology design — from privacy concerns to discriminatory advertising tactics and more.

—Ioana Literat

In the authors’ own research, Black, Hispanic and queer youth have “talked about the heightened social pressure to conform to dominant social norms online, and the ways in which platform design constricts their multifaceted, fluid identities.”

The next step, argue Literat and Brough, is to “bring these voices directly to the design table.”