Why representation matters in digital content and beyond by Joyce Osei

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Why Representation Matters in Digital Content and Beyond

Hello everyone, and welcome to today's enlightening discussion on the importance of representation in digital content and beyond. Our guide through this thought-provoking conversation is Joyce Ossa, a diversity and inclusion consultant, author, and advocate for change in the tech industry.

Innovative, Purposeful and Impactful Women in Tech

Joyce presents us with an inspiring collection of women who have made significant contributions in the tech industry. These women have not only been purposeful and impactful but have also led the way in terms of innovation. The list varies from Ada Lovelace – the 19th-century mathematician that many regard as the first computer programmer, Dr. Fei Fei Lee – a renowned professor at the University of Stanford, Dr. Sue Black – the founder of Tech Mus, to contemporary figures such as Kiki Onandi, the founder of the Black Young Professionals Network, and Kimberly Bryant, founder of Black Girls Code. Other significant figures include Katherine Johnson – a former mathematician who worked for NASA, Jacqueline de Rocca, the president of Tech UK, and Dr. Anie Imaan, the founder of STEMS UK.

The Lack of Representation: A Call for Change

Despite these exceptional figures, Joyce highlights that we need to ask a crucial question when we create digital content: whose voice is missing from the conversation? The tech industry is notorious for its lack of diversity, with only 19% of women in the UK workforce working within it. More shockingly, black women make up a meager 0.7% of the tech force.

Making a Difference: A Personal Experience

Motivated by the underrepresentation she noticed in children's books, Joyce embarked on a journey to change that by publishing her first children’s book. It was a step towards providing a sense of inclusivity and giving children from various ethnicities the role models they deserve. Inspired by her grandmother and her kids, Joyce wrote The Adventures of Amer and Cuisine Barbados, contributing to an area grossly underrepresented in literature. She asks her audience - what experiences could you share?

Increasing Representation in Digital Content

Joyce provides a clear approach to increase representation in digital content:

  1. Start by sharing your passions and lived experiences – be it through blogs, video content, or speaking online.
  2. Be deliberate and intentional.
  3. Always ask whose perspectives are we missing and use the diversity strands (gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, age, and religion) to help answer that.

The Impact of Improved Representation

Increased inclusivity gives clients and customers access to connect with you, have new conversations and explore possibilities. When women are better represented, it leads to an increase in roles models, thus attracting more female talent into the tech industry. Inclusive companies are more than 1.5 times likely to be innovative, and diverse management teams lead to 19% higher revenue, which only highlights the benefits of improving diversity and representation.

Joyce ends her presentation with an engaging Q&A session, leaving her audience with insights and determination to enact personal and organizational change in representation. She invites everyone to connect with her on LinkedIn for further conversations about diversity and inclusion in the tech industry, increasing representation in digital content, and sharing personal experiences to help enact change.

Contact Joyce Ossa for further insights on tackling underrepresentation – let's continue to be innovative, purposeful, and impactful.


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