How Social Media Challenges Shed Light On Industry Diversity Problems

Two Twitter threads I have recently been part of sum up the difficulties of creating a more diverse media industry perfectly.

In the last few weeks, as we have all been in Covid-19 lockdowns, so-called social media "challenges" have proliferated. We have all seen them and many of us have taken part in them. For instance, the; "post a picture of yourself at 20" challenge on Twitter and the #FlipTheSwitch challenge on Instagram.  

For the most part they are just harmless fun and help to relieve the boredom as we find ourselves cooped up in our homes day after day, week after week.

But two Twitter threads I have been involved in clearly demonstrate how difficult it is to diversify the media. Here's how...

1. A common theme in all these Twitter challenges is after you have completed it to tag 4 or 5 people who should take part next.

2. They often reveal people's personal tastes and what sociologists call "cultural capital".

The first Twitter challenge I want to talk about started at the very beginning of the lockdown in the UK and it asked people to list the top 5 albums they would rely on to get through these difficult times.  I have no idea who started this particular challenge but for the most part the majority of the people on the thread were black, the people they tagged at the end of their completed lists were black and most of the albums listed were of black music (more on that last point later).

I hasten to add that some of the black people on this particular thread were well known British celebrities, musicians and actors - and so it was not a insubstantial thread. However, not one of the people could personally offer me a job.

The second Twitter challenge I was roped into asked people to list "five perfect films". On this thread there were not only remarkably few black people, there were hugely influential media industry titans who could definitely further my career in one form or another.

Considering the people involved in these lists form organically, as people recommend friends to take part, they are a very good indicator of social circles. They can also be seen as a good proxy of how information spreads across social media. 

Now, instead of fun Twitter challenges let's think how these organic social circles form and grow when people know of possible job opportunities, or - in the television industry - possible commissioning opportunities.

In the real world, several academics have examined this phenomenon and shown how informal social networks are not only the best source of valuable work information but serve to entrench existing inequalities. 

However, who was present and who was absent from the different threads was not the only issue.

The albums and films people picked were also important.

There is little doubt that people's choices on these kind of lists are carefully curated and consciously or subconsciously they signal your cultural values and tastes. What you are effectively doing when you write down your favorite albums or films is saying "here is my cultural judgement". 

In the media industry your cultural judgement is one of your most valuable assets. The movies you value and music you like are what sociologists call "cultural capital". Liking the "right" movies literally gains you entry into certain groups, and the more effortless your mastery is of what are the "right" and "wrong" movies and music the better. And what could be more "effortless" than just taking part in a fun Twitter challenge?    

What the Twitter threads clearly demonstrates to me is, it is very hard for black people to be included in some key social circles, and even if they are they might not display the "right" cultural judgement (possess the cultural capital) to take advantage of them.

So what can be done?

The first thing that needs to be done is the importance of these Twitter or other social media threads needs to be acknowledged. They are important at the best of times but right now they take on extra importance as we are all on lockdown.

Once we recognize their importance we should take the same approach to tagging people as many people do when it comes to industry panels (ensuring no man only panels). We should endeavor to tag a diverse range of people to take part especially when we begin to realize that the thread is being populated by important people in the industry.

And lastly, and this might be the most difficult one, we should try not to just value the list recommendations that mirror our own tastes and prejudices. But welcome diversity of cultural opinions and maybe even retweet a few every now and again.

Even when the lockdown is lifted there is no doubt that we will enter a new normal. Silly as they are, social media challenges might be a new battleground in increasing industry diversity.