We can only accelerate action if we rebuild trust and safety
Opinion
With the theme for International Women’s Day this year Accelerating Action, what does the industry need to prioritise in order to drive change in light of recent developments?
While we’re not yet even one full quarter through 2025, we’ve already seen a lot of macro-level change in tech that has a direct impact on the media and advertising industry.
This is particularly visible around brand safety. Media and adtech companies don’t have the best track record in building trust with consumers or legislators as a result of years of unmitigated data collection without consumer choice.
And now, with the removal of some platforms’ content moderation features and reduced efforts to have representation reflective of each part of society, we’ll see further erosion in trust from consumers as a result of experiences that are at best inaccurate and at worst harmful.
The platforms, as well as the creators and advertisers that appear on them, are at risk of alienating not just the paying consumers of today with poor experiences from unchecked and under-represented content but also the next generation. It’s a consequential change with a long-term impact.
As an industry, we need to put relationships with consumers at the heart of the tech and policy choices we make. And those relationships start in a consumer’s youth: choice and loyalty for brands form between nine and 12, and brand preference is locked by 16-18, according to SuperAwesome research.
Prioritising online safety and content moderation
As a mother, I understand the daily challenges that all parents face trying to make their kids’ screen time and digital interactions become additive to their lives.
The struggle is real to give my kids independence to be entertained, educated and socialised in the huge variety of content they gravitate to while trying to make sure what they see and do is good for their stage of development. I try to teach them what to look for in terms of quality and truth. But even I need help from the tech!
It’s unfair for platforms and providers to push the full burden of safety and appropriateness on to families, especially when they’re seeking to extract value from youth users and consumers.
Yes, these audiences often get real value from these interactions, too, but the value exchange is further imbalanced when platforms and services under-invest in content moderation and safety measures.
Leadership in tech: An ongoing focus, not just one day a year
All leaders, male or female, need to embrace opportunities for evolution and be open to change. The dizzying speed and applicability of AI, in particular, represents an immediate need for leaders to further their application of new tech and understand the good, and potentially bad, consequences of change.
Given that it’s International Women’s Day, I found Boston Consulting Group’s research incredibly interesting, showing that female tech leaders outpace male counterparts in adopting generative AI, although notably not at every level of seniority.
When taken in tandem with the interest of many women in governance and policy, the role that women have in ensuring that innovation is considered and positive for society is encouraging for the long-term trajectory of AI.
Kate O’Loughlin is CEO of SuperAwesome