How to make digital more responsible?
Posted: Sat Dec 07, 2024 6:59 am
November 2019. I attend the Social Change event in Nantes. I go to the conference given by Rémy Marrone on responsible digital technology. This talk only lasted 20 minutes but it left a deep impression on me. It is no longer a secret, digital technology pollutes . For it to be more responsible, it must therefore reduce its destructive impact on the environment. But not only that! Responsible digital technology cannot only be eco-responsible. It must also be social and inclusive . Based on Rémy Marrone's conference, I would like to discuss some ideas for making digital technology more responsible and more human.
An inclusive digital
As the years go by, digital becomes more accessible to everyone. It's easy and free. And above all, it's fast (we're a long way from the pages that took 30 minutes to load). In a few seconds, we can find hong kong whatsapp number data information, buy a product, publish a photo, exchange with a person on the other side of the planet. In short, the Internet opens up the field of possibilities for us . Perfect. But there is one thing that digital doesn't do. Or rather, that the people using it forget: inclusion.
In 2020, many sites are revealed to be sexist . Blue for boys with messages of strong and powerful men. Pink for women presenting them as more fragile. This digital is neither egalitarian nor inclusive even if it is done without ulterior motive. Sexism is integrated and is found everywhere. Even on the web. We can't wait for the patriarchy to fall ( but that's another debate ).
Worse than the sexism embedded in the internet, digital is often poorly thought out for people with disabilities . Fonts that are too small, tone on tone rendering the visual unreadable for people with vision problems, images without alternative descriptions that do not allow screen readers to decode them, videos without subtitles. Digital is unfortunately a space dominated by the able-bodied. Like the rest of the world.
Making digital more inclusive is up to us. And it doesn't take much effort. When building a web page, you have to ask yourself the following question: will everyone be able to easily collect the information on it? Don't write too small, put alternative descriptions on your images and systematically add subtitles to your videos. Small, simple gestures that make digital truly accessible to all.
An inclusive digital
As the years go by, digital becomes more accessible to everyone. It's easy and free. And above all, it's fast (we're a long way from the pages that took 30 minutes to load). In a few seconds, we can find hong kong whatsapp number data information, buy a product, publish a photo, exchange with a person on the other side of the planet. In short, the Internet opens up the field of possibilities for us . Perfect. But there is one thing that digital doesn't do. Or rather, that the people using it forget: inclusion.
In 2020, many sites are revealed to be sexist . Blue for boys with messages of strong and powerful men. Pink for women presenting them as more fragile. This digital is neither egalitarian nor inclusive even if it is done without ulterior motive. Sexism is integrated and is found everywhere. Even on the web. We can't wait for the patriarchy to fall ( but that's another debate ).
Worse than the sexism embedded in the internet, digital is often poorly thought out for people with disabilities . Fonts that are too small, tone on tone rendering the visual unreadable for people with vision problems, images without alternative descriptions that do not allow screen readers to decode them, videos without subtitles. Digital is unfortunately a space dominated by the able-bodied. Like the rest of the world.
Making digital more inclusive is up to us. And it doesn't take much effort. When building a web page, you have to ask yourself the following question: will everyone be able to easily collect the information on it? Don't write too small, put alternative descriptions on your images and systematically add subtitles to your videos. Small, simple gestures that make digital truly accessible to all.