I entered the Writing and Digital Communications program because I have a passion for digital marketing and communications and want to continue to advance my career in the field. Despite having spent the past 8 years as a digital marketing and communications professional, I never had any formal instruction in the discipline. I entered this program so that I could take my hands-on experience and merge it with academic study. I anticipated that I would gain valuable theoretical insight and pick up a few additional skills.
Instead, this program has completely changed the way that I view
my profession and how I approach my job. After learning more about accessibility and access issues prevalent in our current digital communication system, I have a deeper understanding of why the work that I do is so important. I’ve used my digi comm skills to help businesses reach their objectives, but never put too much thought into how I could be shutting out an important part of the population without meaning to.
Learning how the different elements of a website are processed
by accessibility tools, and search engines, I am better equipped to make sure that everything that I’m creating is available to as many people as possible. The formal instruction helped me to see everything from a high-level, giving me the ability to see the whole picture instead of just the pieces that I had put together through piecemeal self-instruction.
I don’t look at websites the same anymore. Before, I focused purely on the content and visuals on a site. Now, I’m able to look much deeper to determine if a site is accessible, user-friendly, and optimized for search engines. Instead of relying on heading tags to format text for me, I know how to use them to communicate meaning. I don’t rely on pretty graphics to tell the story, I understand how to use alt tags and copy to enhance the experience.
Beyond the world of websites, I also have a new perspective on digital privacy and tracking. Today, I look at the Facebook News Feed and Google search results with a wary appreciation. As a marketer, I enjoy the age of personalization and tracking because it makes it easier for me to find new customers and track marketing return on investment. Though after more careful study, I understand the importance of finding a healthy balance between data collection and privacy. Despite the appeal of being able to access so much personal data to use for marketing targeting, I know that there is a point where the benefits of personalization fail to outweigh the loss of privacy.
The other downside of the tracking and data mining is that we’re losing more control over what we are exposed to. If the algorithms are using our data to start thinking for us, we become susceptible to extreme influence by those who are behind the code. I used to think that the days of mass propaganda were behind us now that we don’t all have to rely on one news channel or newspaper to get information. Instead, the propaganda has just gone a different route and people are less aware of biases behind their information sources. The good thing is that as we become more aware of how far technology has advanced, we’re starting to push back to demand more digital transparency and digital protections.
Though this program did open my eyes to some of the biggest challenges digital communication has created, I still believe that digi comm is a powerful way to help people connect with others. It was encouraging to learn about how social media and the web are being used to empower people and create meaningful change. I am now happy to see changes that Facebook makes to their ad targeting, even though it might make my job a little tougher because I know that it’s a step in the right direction ethically. Though there are many barriers to access and concerns over influence, ultimately I do believe that the digital world can help even the playing field if the issues of access and bias are properly addressed. I am leaving the program feeling empowered to help be part of finding those solutions.