Why Representation Matters

Alvin and I are Dads to two kids, a boy and a girl, and we are purposeful about celebrating each of them for all they are. However, as a white male raising two kids of color, I am particularly sensitive to the need to invest in them to ensure they are exposed to a broad range of experiences that cut across race, gender, and stereotypical lines.

Why, you might ask? Notwithstanding my shared responsibility with Alvin to create a purposeful, expansive, rich environment, our children's early experiences — including the hours spent consuming media — shape what they imagine to be possible for people who look like them, live where they live, or come from where they came from.

Representation can inspire aspiration and empowerment by showing that people from different backgrounds, cultures, identities, and experiences can achieve their goals. As Mark Samuel, Founder and CEO of IMPAQ Corp and best-selling author, writes, when outlining why representation is important, "The experiences that we all want to have as human beings are to feel understood, be seen, and be valued for our input, effort, and contribution to achieving results. Even being included won't provide that experience if when we are included, we are ignored or not taken seriously."

Take advertising and the online experience, two forms of mass media that fuel much of what we visualize and react to as humans. According to a study by Stanford University, a staggering 94% of first impressions are design-related, and the visual appeal and usability of a website, and by extension, advertising, have a considerable impact on how users form an opinion about a brand, a product, or a service. 

It is a truism that most American consumers expect companies to be more culturally adept and include more voices in their communications. For example, a 2020 Microsoft study found that 72% of Gen Z consumers prefer brands that deliver and depict diversity; this correlates with the broader American populace. In addition, more frequent and positive portrayals of underrepresented and diverse groups have a measurably positive impact on business outcomes. 

And yet, we still have much work to do to ensure fair and lasting representation that drives more equitable outcomes. For example, a 2019 Adobe study found that 66% of African-American and 53% of Latinx respondents felt they were portrayed stereotypically in ads, compared to 21% of Caucasian respondents. Separately, Meta Research found that minority groups are 2x less likely to be shown in family-centered advertising compared to Caucasians. Men are 1.3x more likely to be shown working and 1.6x more likely to be shown in an office setting vs. women.

For underrepresented and marginalized communities, the lack of representation can reinforce existing stereotypes and biases that affect people's attitudes, behaviors, and opportunities. Furthermore, a persistent lack of representation will continue perpetuating broad social and economic injustice if not addressed head-on. As Alphonso David, President of the Global Black Economic Forum (GBEF), states, "Nobody wins in our current system as marginalized communities experience relentless disparities in the most important measures of economic well-being, including equal wages, job benefits, and career growth opportunities."

Data from GBEF indicates that only 1% of all venture capital funding goes to Black founders, negatively impacting job and wealth creation. Separately, the gender pay gap is well documented; in 2022, women earned an average of 82% of what white, non-Hispanic men earned, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of median hourly earnings of both full- and part-time workers. For Black women, that number drops to 63%.

These are but a few of the myriad statistics that highlight the continued need to focus on increasing representation to reflect the diversity and complexity of the human experience and promote social change and justice.

Over the next few weeks, the More Elephant podcast will delve into representation, why it is an essential step towards equity, and how being seen has impacted people to ideate and create lasting change for themselves and marginalized communities. You will hear about solutions and spaces built to listen, learn, and foster new or redress missed opportunities that enable an improved lived experience for those impacted. We hope you will be inspired and ready to take action. To be More Elephant.