Tech corporates – and especially those in charge of social media sites – are ethically and legally expected to promote gender balance and equity as they strive to incorporate censorship in the information meant for the public domain. In doing so, the corporates help improve gender equality and transparency in the companies, ensure that the news presented is credible and not biased, prevent the suppression of good quality news while censoring fake news.
Since its introduction in the latter years of 1990 and the early 2000’s, social media has been used to link millions of people all across the globe, and consequently, it has eventually become a huge source of news for most people in the world. However, social media has over the years turned into a dangerous avenue where fake news could be spread. Many would argue that social media is no longer a reliable source of information as more and more people begin spreading the false news for all kinds of reasons. Some of these people behind such sites do so as a way of obtaining attention from the public or as a way of tarnishing other people’s reputation. Therefore, there was a need to curb this vice before it became out of control.
In the past, technology corporates in charge of various social media sites have intervened in a move to ensure that the information is regulated. However, one of the most significant challenges known to prevent the following goal from being achieved is the issue of gender inequality or cases where particular genders feel left out. It is crucial for these companies to realize that a new era is here; one that promotes the use of social media as a significant source of news and information, and, therefore, they come up with measures that ensures that information goes through a process where every single gender is represented. The following paper focuses on the history of sexuality in different corporations, the introduction of gender-based censorship in other forms of media corporates, and reflecting on the issue of fake news and how the introduction of equity in such corporates can help curb the spread of bad press.
Gender and Corporates
Corporates from all over the world have in some way experienced gender equality problems regardless of the company’s background. In some cases, companies have had to come up with rules and regulations that ensure that they are not gendered biased. However, theories suggest that cultural beliefs that find their way into the company disadvantage women and favor men (Schilt, 2006). As a result, such companies are always gendered inequality issues. In other cases, some cultural backgrounds promote the hiring of women while disregarding their male counterparts. Eventually, such circumstances of inequality are deeply embedded in the company’s policies in such a way that it becomes impossible to eradicate them.
Gender discrimination in the corporates; and especially technology corporates is something considered to be ‘common.’ In the technology industry, the most dominant gender is the male gender. Apparently, women do not feel ‘at home’ while around technology (Brenston, 1988). Brenston goes ahead to explain that the male gender is more receptive to technology as compared to women. She argues that men have a ‘technological worldview’ which makes them objective and ration. It is clear that the male gender is fascinated by technology and therefore this would explain why most technology corporates are headed by men (Quora, 2017). At a young age, most young girls would instead socialize, young boys, are fascinated with technology in the form of computer and video games. As a result, these young men are much concerned with mastering this technology and at the same time coming up with new ones.
As time goes by, such people start up their own companies and thus employ people of the same mind who happen to consist significantly of men with the exception of a few women. This is an excellent example of how culture and beliefs have found their way into the corporate world creating a situation whereby there is gender inequality. This might prove to be a problem when the company starts to ‘do gender’ while advocating for inequality (Schilt, 2006).
In other cases, men are believed to advance faster than women while the playing field is the same. As a result, most people in an official position in most corporates are men (Schilt, 2006). Various theories have come up all trying to show why men advance faster than women in multiple fields. One theory suggests that advancements in employment are based on experience. In most cases, women take leaves from work as they try to care for their families and as a result, their male counterparts are viewed to have gained more experience in the course of time otherwise known as the human capital theory (Schilt, 2006). In other cases, men are advantaged as compared to women in particular areas where they are thought to be more competent and capable of handling the task given to them.
Overcoming the Gender Barrier
Over the last couple of years, women have taken the world by storm proving to the world that they too have the power and capacity to advance in the field of technology. This was as a result of the changes made in ensuring that some cultural beliefs that had been in existence for a long time were eradicated. Women formed platforms that saw them sponsor young girls into the technology world. Surprisingly, the move to have more women into the technology sector has not been welcomed by all. However, most corporations are slowly embracing the fact that male dominance in the technology sector is bad for both the women and the industry (Khanna, 2013).
Research shows that most women would not like to venture into businesses where they would feel inferior. According to a similar article, it is clear that the rate at which the world is growing – technology-wise – it would be essential to have as many people on board as possible. Therefore, companies like Microsoft have come up with foundations that promote women and technology by providing scholarships, internship opportunities, and employment opportunities. Social media corporates such as Facebook and Yahoo have demonstrated the importance of female leadership by appointing women to head some of the most prominent positions in the companies. Sheryl Sandberg is the COO of Facebook while Marissa Mayer is the CEO of Yahoo. The two are examples of positive role models for young girls who would like to venture into the world of technology.
The Media and Gender
Despite the fact that the modern age has seen vast improvements and advancements in the number of women in the world of technology and media, it has had its fair share of challenges. Before the growth of the media corporates, which saw them come up with measures that would ensure that all forms of gender were represented in their companies, women were kept in the sidelines with only a few familiar faces appearing. It took a lot of hard work and critics to get to where women are today. However, even today, women still face some of these problems whether directly or indirectly. Media companies began to embrace the impact women had on the media and therefore, provided them with employment opportunities.
The same companies also aimed at ensuring that they kept a right image of themselves as it was proper business (Davidson, 2016). It was reported that most of these companies who had a good number of women in the top senior positions performed better than those that had fewer women. Newsrooms became more productive once gender equality was achieved as well as the introduction of new ideas. The result of this was the introduction of new policies that saw media corporates come up with strategies that saw an improvement in the gender balance.
One of these strategies was the inclusion of news about women and for women. These companies recognized the fact that women composed nearly half of the world’s population
and it was, therefore, essential to come up with ways to address the issues that affected them. They were determined to provide them with a platform where they could air their concerns and be heard. That was not the only place media companies were aiming at having female representatives; they also included an additional number of women in their boardrooms and newsrooms as a way of encouraging diversity. Some media houses created an employee-enforced quota system that ensures a 50/50 gender representation. As expected, such companies performed better than their competitors (Davidson, 2016).
One of the most effective measures that were undertaken by the media and technology corporates was the increase in the skills and leadership capabilities using mentoring and development programs. Such programs saw women climb the ladder of success while improving their confidence and competence. The move also encouraged other women who were not as experienced which was a significant boost to their careers. In the process in opened up the entire sector in the form of a chain reaction where more and more women were included in the process.
The Role of Media Corporates in Censoring News
Media censorship is an essential aspect of ensuring that the news released by media corporates is meant for the public. Legally it is crucial for media corporates to censor news especially when that information should not be made public. In other cases, the decision is made to ensure the privacy and the safety of the source. In other cases, the news may be censored to prevent political or corporate fallout (Halbrooks, 2017). All these efforts are aimed at ensuring that the right quality and quantity of information is in the public domain while respecting all other rights that go beyond the freedom of speech and the right to information. In other cases, censorship is aimed at preventing the spread of false or fake news.
The term ‘Fake News’ refers to propaganda used to spread false information or fabricated news intentionally. Most people assume that fake news was introduced when technology was introduced; however that is not the case. Fake news has been in existence for a long time even before the introduction of technology. One of the main similarities the two form of fake news (before and after technology) have is their motive or purpose. In both these era’s, the fake news was used intentionally to mislead the less informed public, damage a person’s or agency’s reputation, or for financial or political gain. The only difference is with the introduction of technology, the spread of fake news is faster and especially on platforms such as social media and mainstream media.
It has been discovered that fake news mainly consists of stories that provable false, and have a widespread appeal in a particular culture. Therefore, people propagating phony news and information are known to use catchy headlines or news stories that appear to be ‘too good to be true.’ As a result, more and more people are attracted to the same, and they end up sharing this information widely. In the modern world, fake news has been attributed to the popularity enjoyed by social media, increased political polarization, and revenue from online advertisement.
Gender-Based Censorship
Gender-based censorship, unlike the standard form of censorship, attempts to stifle a particular gender’s public voice (Tax, 2014). In such circumstances, the victim is threatened in all ways to ensure that their news does not get out there. In the past, women have been frequent victims of gender-based censorship. This is something that has been there for some time now and has been much attributed to the spread of fake news. In some cases, women are suppressed when they talk about issues that affect the society they come from which as a result causes fear.
In another case, the women working in different media corporates are not provided with the right tools or platform to air their ideas or contribute towards the news released to the public. Most of these women may end up opening social media platforms and blogs where they air news they could not express before. However, in the case of women bloggers such as Rebecca Watson, expressing oneself in such a way may lead to more significant harm than good. Women like Rebecca have in the past experienced death and rape threats, which are not taken seriously by the authorities (Tax, 2014). Eventually such actions affect a woman’s freedom, and as a result, they fade away. The study shows that a hostile audience as compared to their male counterparts talking about the same thing often faces liberal women, who often take to the internet to express themselves on particular social issues such as democracy, equality, and the public good. Depending on how high a person’s self-esteem is, she might decide to abandon the whole idea or select a different topic altogether.
Social Media Corporates and Censorship of Fake News
The following section looks at the role of social media corporates in curbing the spread of fake and unreliable news with the help of gender equity. It is clear at this point that social media is the most influential source of information given its growing popularity and increased audience. It is therefore vital for tech corporates in charge of social media sites to acknowledge the fact that they have the same role as those who deal with other forms of media. Second, they should recognize the presence and impact of having gender equality within their corporations.
One of the main problems that come with the quick spread of fake news in the modern generation based on the fact that the public’s has no way of telling whether the information before them is credible. One of the best examples all times was the spread of fake news during the 2016 American Presidential Elections (Lisbona, 2017). The amount of influence and the dissemination of such news had on the general public was so significant, it influenced the outcome of the Presidential elections. Sites like Facebook have already designed ways to ensure that their newsfeed section is free of fake news. At the same time, the company has encouraged gender equality as a way of providing that they are not biased nor do they approach such a serious matter from a single point of view.
Other platforms such as YouTube and Google have in the past been accused of being used to propagate fake news. Most people argue that they are private companies that have the option of taking down anything that does not appear to be credible without seeking permission from the government; yet they fail to do so (Joseph, 2017). In some Muslim-dominated countries, YouTube has caused chaos after a displeasing video was posted. The citizen took to the streets to demonstrate this act; confirming the robust nature of social media. The company has made quickstep to block the video in other countries such as Egypt and Libya as a way of preventing further violence. There is a countless number of examples where social media has been used to propagate fake and false news, which have led to the destruction of particular aspects of specific societies.
Conclusion
It is clear from the examples and evidence provided that media and technology corporates have a long way to go when it comes to the issues of gender equality and censoring fake news on fastest growing media platform like social media. Legally, policies have already been formulated to ensure they curb the spread of false news but these corporates need to do more to ensure that these policies are implemented. One of the ways is advocating for equity. This move will encourage the introduction of new and fresh ideas that may help these corporates. Those that have already embraced gender equality should ensure that issues like gender-based censorship is a thing of the past and every person’s freedom should be respected without interfering with the rights of others.
Finally, it is clear that social media is a potent tool; one that can bring the world together and grow nations and at the same time one that can destroy it; from the overthrowing dictators in Africa to influence the outcome of the Presidential election in America. Therefore, corporate giants in the world of technology should join forces to ensure that matters to do with false news are regulated in sections where it could not be eradicated. However, I would like to acknowledge the efforts made to ensure we are where we are today as a result of the improvements made by tech corporates.