Women are the builders of online communities—and we deserve better
This is personal for us. As women leading a social agency and parents of teenage children who are highly susceptible to being influenced by these platforms, we are seeing firsthand how quickly the social environment is changing and the impact it’s already having on the people who rely on this space to build meaningful relationships—a high proportion of which is women.
The numbers speak for themselves. In both the U.S. and U.K., women are more frequent users of Meta platforms than men. More than half (54%) of women report using Facebook or Instagram daily. The very companies benefiting from women’s engagement have an opportunity to make decisions that better support and include them. But we need to act. Now.
What can we do?
As brands, marketers, agencies, and digital leaders, we have both a responsibility and a powerful opportunity to drive meaningful change. It starts with the stories we choose to tell and the voices we choose to amplify.
Every campaign, every partnership, and every influencer collaboration is a chance to prioritize inclusion. If we intentionally seek out creators from marginalized communities and actively spotlight their work, we help reshape the narrative—and the culture—of not only the platforms we rely on but society as a whole.
But representation alone isn’t enough. We also need to invest in mentorship and leadership programs that empower women to rise within the tech industry. If we want a different future for these platforms, we need to change who’s at the table making decisions. That means supporting initiatives that foster diverse talent within our own organizations and across the broader industry. Let’s lead the way for a women-led platform to succeed!
At the same time, we need to encourage platforms to be more accountable. When companies roll back their DEI programs and weaken content moderation, we can’t afford to stay silent. Together our voices are powerful—and it’s time we unite to use them.
Finally, we need to rethink the way we manage our own online communities. If you’re responsible for a brand’s social channels, you’re not just a content creator, you’re a community builder. That means setting clear standards for what’s acceptable in your comment sections, actively moderating conversations, and stepping in when toxicity takes root. If we want to build inclusive spaces, we need to actively shape them, rather than just hoping they’ll evolve on their own. In just eight weeks since Meta announced its decision to replace biased fact-checkers, we have seen a rise in hate-driven and explicit content—imagine where we’ll be eight months from now.
