What Snapchat has yet to realize is that diversity is not just about being decent human beings, but that it’s also good for business. And Snap users, along with neighboring tech companies, are calling them out.
“Without mile markers so to speak – that is, specific numbers of employees in different demographic groups at different levels–we have no idea how far they’ve come nor their pace,” says venture capital wizard, Freada Kapor Klein.
“A startup would never say that their goal is profitability but they don’t track their revenues.
Research shows that diverse workforces are both more productive and help companies better understand their audiences. For social media-based companies like Snapchat it’s especially important for the magicians behind the curtain to understand users’ wants and needs. Having people steeped in different experiences contributing to decision-making is a must. Remember Snap’s black-face Bob Marley filter idea? If that’s not proof enough then…actually, no, that’s definitely proof enough.
Karla Monterroso, from VP of programs at Code2040, emphasizes that this desegregation of tech is an interactive learning process. “It is important for companies, especially companies like Snap with this level of visibility, to model what it means to lead on the vulnerability and ambition it takes to create inclusion.”
So… until Snapchat starts caring, maybe it’s time to go #nofilter.
