When I did this, I made the assumption that this magical algorithm played fair: an assumption that’s far from the truth. Algorithms are not so much objective as they are “opinion embedded in math.” We can’t have an algorithmic metric for success unless someone dictates the definition of “success.”

Despite the fact that the algorithm is machine learning, its genesis stems from the human mind. Even the most well-intentioned among us have our own agendas, our own ideas of what should be represented. 

The worlds of computer and data science reflect the whims and ideologies of their participants. Traditionally, those participants are already well-represented, and they are often seen as the standard-bearers: white, male, heterosexual, cisgender, non-disabled. Even though this demographic is changing, the change comes slowly in relation to how quickly information is shared and how that sharing influences the algorithm.

Also, a paradox to consider: it’s challenging for each of us to consider bias in our social media feeds because the algorithm works. We only see our own feeds, which also means we only see the pages and people with whom we engage. The information we receive is designed to reflect what the algorithm thinks we want to see… which is basically reflecting our own selves back at us. How does that help us consider and listen to voices that are not our own?

Make The Algorithm Work For You 

If you’ve been following us for a while, it’s safe to say you know our commitment to antiracist actions and to amplifying diverse perspectives. We’re guessing you share those values and goals as well. So how do we ensure that our social media feeds more accurately represent the full spectrum of awesome that’s out there?

Take time to discover the Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) creators in your industry. Give them a follow, and follow that up with direct engagement. The algorithm tends to respond by showing you more content from the accounts you follow most recently. Take that up a few notches by liking their recent posts and leaving appropriate comments.

Let this also extend to adding more queer/gender-expansive creators, as well as folks with disabilities. Generally speaking: look outside your own sphere as much as possible.

Reflect Before You Collect

A common refrain I heard from BIPOC creators and activists after the #BlackoutTuesday and #AmplifyMelanatedVoices efforts was that their follower counts grew exponentially, but they did not see that same growth in engagement. If anything: increasing follower count without meaningful engagement likely deprioritized their content. 

Take a few moments to ask yourself: did you rush to follow more Black folks online without considering how you wanted to interact with them?

If that’s the route you took: no shame. Now’s the time to review your feeds, show extra love to the folks you want to support and elevate, and consider unfollowing accounts you’re not engaging with. That last suggestion might sting for a second, but again: we want followers who actively and genuinely support our work.

But Also: Collect!

An Instagram-specific tip for y’all: make the most of saved posts and collections. It’s rumored that Instagram’s algorithm favors saved posts more than comments or likes. 

Here’s how: Take a gander at any post in your feed, and you’ll see a small banner icon at the bottom right. Click on it to save that post. If you hold the banner icon, this allows you to create a collection folder that you can name whatever you choose. 

Think about how you can use this feature to keep tabs on your favorite accounts while also helping boost their visibility. One way is to create a collection of content you want to share! Remember that sharing posts also helps engagement! This is especially helpful for posts that include calls to action; saving this content allows you to take action when you’re able, and reminds you to share the actions with others. 

Do All Of This Within Reason

Your mental health counts for a LOT, friends. We won’t tackle the major issues in our world via social media alone. Take ample breaks from your feeds. Engage with the best members of your community in more direct, offline ways as you’re able. 

Also: don’t hesitate to block and report malicious, spurious, and abusive accounts or pages as necessary. This helps make more room for the voices and perspectives we want to celebrate while also prioritizing safety for all. 

A self-described “geeky kid from Kansas,” Gilbert Baker made his way to San Francisco in 1970 after an honorable discharge from the US Army. He dreamed of becoming an artist, and began channeling his energies into sewing, creating handmade versions of fabulous outfits he wanted but was unable to buy. Baker also used his skills to create banners for anti-war and pro-gay marches.

His activism in the gay community brought him into contact with community organizer Harvey Milk. When Milk was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1978 (the first openly gay person elected to office in California), he encouraged Baker to envision a new symbol of pride for the gay community. Inspired by the 1976 bicentennial and seeing the American flag everywhere, Baker thought it best to create something similar.

The first rainbow flag saw its debut on June 25, 1978, at San Francisco’s Gay Pride Day celebration. Its first iteration had eight stripes, each hand-dyed and sewn together by Baker and a group of friends: pink stood for sexuality, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for the sun, green for nature, turquoise blue for art, indigo for harmony and violet for spirit.

When he saw hundreds of people passing the 30′ x 60; flag from hand to hand, Baker knew his life would be forever changed: “Raising it up and seeing it there blowing in the wind for everyone to see. It completely astounded me that people just got it, in an instant like a bolt of lightning – that this was their flag. It belonged to all of us. It was the most thrilling moment of my life. Because I knew right then that this was the most important thing I would ever do – that my whole life was going to be about the Rainbow Flag.”

Sadly, grief and rage consumed San Francisco in the wake of the November 1978 assassination of Milk (and Mayor George Moscone). Demand for the flags increased as the community again clamored for hope and visibility. This increased demand resulted in subtle changes to the flag, as hot pink and turquoise fabric was scarce. By 1979, the six-striped Rainbow Pride Flag became the unofficial symbol of the gay and lesbian community.

Since then, variations of the Rainbow Pride Flag have been seen across the world – exactly as Baker had hoped. Members of the LGBTQ community continue to honor his work and build upon it as they visualize and introduce changes. 2017 saw the City of Philadelphia introduce black and brown stripes to represent queer people of color. In 2018, Portland designer Daniel Quasar reimagined an updated Pride flag to also include transgender and non-binary individuals.

Design is something that comes not only with monetary value, but also the potential for deep and lasting cultural value. Gilbert Baker recognized the cultural value of his work, and ultimately never copyrighted his creation, nor did he collect any income from subsequent efforts. Instead, Baker chose to let the simple design belong to everyone.

The next time you spot the bright stripes fluttering freely in the breeze, take a moment to pay respect to this generous gift to the community, and to the brave men, women, and people whose relentless spirits gave us a bit more freedom to live in our truths.

Algorithms Can Have Powerful Consequences

Carina C. Zona opened Day 2 with “Consequences of an Insightful Algorithm” and talked about the incredible number of things we can learn about people through data, and subsequently, the potentially hurtful actions that can stem from it. Zona brought up several examples of big-name companies who have used their data less-than-responsibly, such as FitBit’s public exposure of sexual activity on profile statistics, or even more disastrous, Target’s advertisements towards pregnant women exposing a teen pregnancy. Big companies can learn a great deal about their customers by gathering and analyzing customer data, but they can easily fail at using that data responsibly.

Inadvertent algorithmic cruelty–a phrase coined by Eric Meyer–is, “what happens when code works in the majority of cases, but fails to take other use cases into account.” These types of things often happen because the consequences of how data is being used aren’t being thoroughly considered, which is easy to do when you assume that your customers and users are similar to you. That means that people outside of the assumed majority can get hurt.

We all have biases, whether we’re aware of them or not, so it’s important for us all to consider what motivates our choices, and how that can affect others who don’t share our biases. Data can be an extremely powerful tool, but it’s up to us to be honest and trustworthy, to use data responsibly, and to actively counter the biases that exist in ourselves and our culture.

Good User Experience Means Seeking Other Perspectives

With the Day 2 keynote fresh in my mind, I attended multiple sessions that encouraged all of us in tech to reach outside of our own perspectives, to think and learn about users who are different from us, and use that knowledge to create better user experiences for everyone.

Amelia Abreu and Rachel Shadoan facilitated a longer-form session, “Dog Food is for Dogs: Escape the Crate of Your Perspective with User Research,” which focused on escaping the limitations of our own perspective through user research. We know our own projects inside and out, but our users don’t have that same advantage, so it’s part of our job to do the research and learn more about the people we’re designing for.

The session focused on a couple of different strategies to help us learn to see beyond our own experience: first, we looked at a photograph and brainstormed about everything from the circumstances and feelings of the people in said photo, to potential solutions to their problems. Later in the session, we broke up into several groups and explored different scenarios, so we could strategically think about the different types of people who might work with our projects, what’s exciting them about our work, and what their struggles might be.

The clear message here was that we need to consider a variety of people when we create user experiences. People tend to congregate with others who are just like them, so that can easily lead us to assume that our experience is the only one that matters. Our user scenarios should be based on field research, or we risk falling into tropes and our own biases.

In a similar vein, David Newton tackled the topic of making web design more inclusive in “Universal Web Design: How to create an awesome experience for *every* user.” Newton looked at successful examples of universal design in the real world–such as curb cuts to improve accessibility for wheelchairs, strollers, and bikes–and then expanded on the concepts of universal design and how they can apply to Web Design.

Creating web design that’s intuitive, flexible, and easy to use in a variety of situations was a big topic here, and it’s one that I loved talking about. A good universal design works for us, and we don’t really think about it until it’s not there when we need it. No matter what type of web site we’re building, be it business, personal, or community, our number one goal? We want people to use the site. If you have a web design that’s confusing, or that isn’t easy to use for all of our users, then your web site is falling down on the job.

Newton went into a detailed run-down of tips, concepts, and best practices for making web designs more accessible. And, he also stressed the importance of listening to and considering a variety of users. Diversity is not only about the user, but also how they access the web, what devices, connection speeds, and so forth. We were encouraged to listen to our users, respond to their email feedback, do focus groups, and do our best to learn what they need, so we can create a better web site experience for everyone.

In short: “Remove barriers. Make things easier for users, even if it’s a little harder for us [as designers and developers].”

Did you miss out on the conference? Look back at Day 1 of Open Source Bridge, and take a look at some of our photos on Facebook.

Stepping Towards True Diversity in Tech

Adair emphasized the importance of companies throughout tech stepping up and putting real weight behind their stated desires for diversity.  Empathy is key to creating an environment that is welcoming to all, and a supportive work environment is key to retaining people from those underrepresented demographics.

In short, it’s important to create a space that’s safe for everyone, and that allows diverse groups to flourish. It means not allowing members of your company or community to act badly without consequences. Value interpersonal skills as well as technical skills. Give access to tools and education, and inclusive healthcare. It can even be as simple as taking the time to learn an unfamiliar name. When you think on diversity, don’t simply wonder, “how do I add diversity?” but ask, “how do I make things better for everyone?”

When Fear Takes Hold, Reach Outward

In an afternoon session, Adam Edgerton looked at what happens when the project management cycle gets scary in “Project Fear.” He touched on the very real issues of burnout in all facets of tech–Edgerton suggested that burnout is one major contributor to why people quit the industry–and the feelings of uncertainty that come with joining a new project or a new company. “Impostor Syndrome is most strongly associated with high achievers,” so even those who are expert and capable, and performing well, may feel the fear that comes with uncertainty

New hires can take anywhere from 6 months to a year to gain the background knowledge about a company that’s needed for them to perform well, so patience is key. Edgerton suggests reaching outward to help combat uncertainty–asking questions and doing research to gain the background you might be missing can help you find the “a-ha” moment of understanding. It’s also important to balance your gut feelings and your logic, much like our friends Kirk and Spock. And, allowing yourself to talk about struggle and share it with others can help relieve the pressure that leads to burnout.

Your Job Impacts Your Community

An afternoon session with Kelsey Gilmore-Innis, “Your Job Is Political,” dove into the long reach of tech dollars in politics. Using her knowledge of tech leaders in the Bay Area, she went into extensive detail about venture capitalists in tech, the surprising number of tech companies they’re tied to and invested in, and most importantly, where their political interests lie–and subsequently, where their millions of dollars are going.

A sad truth of our political system is that money continues to command a great deal of power, and the work you do as an average tech worker contributes to advancing political interests that you may not support. If you don’t take a position, but your bosses invest revenue from your labor in politics, you are not impartial. Be aware of who is at the top levels of your company, and what they are doing (or not doing) to benefit your community.

If you are a woman in the tech industry and feel your most recent Portland tech conference was mostly populated by white, 25-35 year old men, you wouldn’t be incorrect. A recent survey by Bloomberg shows that silicone valley big hitters such as Facebook, Google, Apple and Twitter are all failing to get above the 30% women mark, globally, across the board! If you are a lesbian or queer person, and even more so if you are a lesbian or queer person of color, the numbers are even more dire.

We at Upswept Creative are excited and proud, however, to have better diversity numbers than our competition! I myself have been openly gay since I was a teen, and we openly embrace diversity in our team. After hearing about the local Portland chapter of Lesbians Who Tech, I was excited to attend the Lesbians Who Tech Summit from February 26th-March 1st in San Francisco. Over 1200 women attended from all over the US, and the agenda was packed with amazing workshops and presentations regarding diversity issues, making smart career choices, and who technology can support social justice efforts. Here are some notes from the summit!

Diversity is important because it leads to more success.

Companies with female board members tend to be more successful than companies without. But while females comprise roughly 50% of the adult population, there are more male CEO’s called John in the United States than there are CEOs who are female! Companies with diverse employees tend to be more successful because they can appeal to a broader market. Diversity is more than just hiring women – it also means hiring older people, younger people, people from different racial and ethnic backgrounds, gay, queer and transgendered people, people who are differently able, and people who have non-traditional backgrounds.

Takeaway: Make your company appeal to a diverse audience by putting diverse people in your offices – not just in your advertising. If you are not in a position to affect hiring decisions: actively support diversity goals by joining interest groups, fostering connections, and supporting local diversity initiatives.

Support Women by providing work environments that are pregnancy/child friendly.

According to an article published by the New York Times a few days ago, there are more male CEO’s called John in the United States than there are CEOs who are female! A big reason for this is motherhood. Not all women will become mothers, but for those that do, working full or even part time can be a challenge. Work with your employees and colleagues to find solutions that allow for a more flexible schedule, including working remotely. Accommodate breastfeeding mothers by providing a private area to pump milk. Hire women who are trying to get back into working after taking maternity leave.

Takeaway: Mothers are amazing multitaskers, mature communicators and driven problem solvers by necessity – a real asset to any project team.

Strengthen relationships to empower your community to success.

For me, it was an amazing experience to attend a tech conference that was geared towards Lesbians and Queer women. It allowed me to relax and be myself, while also allowing me to network extensively with sympathetic peers. Lesbians Who Tech was an amazing opportunity for mutually beneficial connections to form, all while supporting a community that needs to empower itself to manifest change. Even if you do not belong to any specific minority group, connecting with a community of likeminded peers can provide you with the support to reach your own personal goals, which in turn can inspire others to take the first step.

Takeaway: Get connected to others with whom you share common ground. Let’s keep supporting each other!

Portland professional photographer | Portland branding agency | Upswept Creative