Is your business considering cultural sensitivity on social media? Saying the wrong thing or posting culturally insensitive imagery can offend your loyal customers and prospects and tarnish your brand reputation.
But how do you know how to be culturally sensitive and inclusive while staying on brand? Keep reading to learn what it means to be culturally sensitive on social media, and get our top 7 tips for creating culturally sensitive social media posts.
What is cultural sensitivity on social media?
Being aware of cultural norms and differences is a requirement for ethical businesses. It’s about posting content that is not only diverse but that’s understanding of different cultures’ acceptable language and practices.
On social media, it’s your ethical responsibility to post informative, factual content that creates healthy conversations. Being conscious and aware of what you are posting and how you act online is an essential first step to posting content that is less likely to be culturally insensitive. Your words and images can impact how your followers receive your message. Ensure they are posted with a focus on being on-brand and culturally sensitive.
7 tips for creating inclusive social media posts
Here are seven tips for writing inclusive social media posts that are sensitive to cultural differences.
1. Don’t use stereotypes
Check your posts for any accidental stereotypes. Perpetuating stereotypes, even if you don’t do it maliciously, can help reinforce societal biases and disrespect.
For example, be careful not to post harmful stereotypical images, such as young Asian children getting A+ in their math. Consider how the individual in the photos is being represented by looking at:
- What is the image intended to represent?
- Are their actions ethical and culturally appropriate?
- Is their clothing respectful and inoffensive?
- Does the photo represent the diversity of your actual clients and customers?
To avoid falling into stereotypes, learn more about your audience so you can recognize and understand the real-life diversity in your community.
2. Check cliches at the door
Cliches are often rooted in untrue stereotypes and are frequently disrespectful. These are sometimes harder to recognize because they’re so often used in society…yet their true meaning is quite disrespectful.
For example, you’ve likely heard these cliches that have roots in Indigenous culture:
- “Let’s have a powwow” – has been used in the corporate world to indicate a meeting or a discussion when it refers to a ceremonial and celebratory social gathering for Indigenous people.
- “Indian Summer” -refers to a late, warm summer, but can also infer that Indians are late.
- “Hey Chief” – usually said to someone in an authority position (like a boss), but in indigenous culture, it specifically refers to the chief of a nation. Being called “Chief” when you’re not can be offensive and make a person feel uncomfortable.
Here are more culturally inappropriate cliches that have roots in indigenous cultures.
3. Include diversity in your photos
When using stock photos for social media posts, be mindful of which you choose. Be inclusive and diverse in the gender identities, races, and ethnicities you use in photos.
For example, it might be viewed as insensitive to post a picture of a caucasian family when writing a post about Truth and Reconciliation Day. When selecting photos, use photos of people with diverse backgrounds. Here are some things to consider:
- Consider posting pictures with many cultures represented in the same image
- Avoid labelling models on photos by characteristics or stereotypes
- Include people of different ages and body shapes
- Include both male-female couples as well as same-sex couples
- Include pictures of different-abilitied individuals
Of course, diversity isn’t always necessary in some cases. For example, if you sell children’s clothing, no one expects you to post pictures of elderly couples. They will, however, expect you to post images of children from different ethnicities, genders, and body types.
4. Be mindful when using humour
Before you post anything potentially humorous, check it to ensure you’re not being stereotypical or culturally insensitive to a potential follower. Puns and jokes don’t often translate well in other cultures and can be offensive or insulting.
Many jokes are made at another’s expense, so check that it doesn’t refer to a stereotype or cliche that could be offensive.
5. Be inclusive of religious beliefs
Be mindful of posting inappropriate religious-based content or comments. Unless it’s part of your brand, it’s usually best to avoid bringing your personal religious beliefs or views into your business social posts.
6. Watch out for outbound links
You should also be aware of the links you post on social media. Whether it’s to your content or a third-party website or social handle, always check links to ensure the content in them abides by your ethical and cultural sensitivity standards. It’s a good rule to always check any tagged profiles to ensure they link to the correct profile and all outbound links to ensure they work and are correct before publishing.
7. Be mindful of your comments too
The last thing to remember is to watch what you post in the comments. Whether you’re commenting on your post or someone else’s, always ensure you do so with respect and sensitivity. You never know who may read your post and form an opinion about you and your business’s ethics.
Final thoughts on cultural inclusivity on social media
Always have a colleague check your social media posts to help you identify any potentially harmful content. Be sure to check images, links, and also hashtags for cultural insensitivities.
Sometimes, despite your best efforts, a culturally inappropriate post may go out on your business’s social media. Once you become aware of the content, you can update the post to correct the insensitivity or remove it entirely from your feed. You may wish to post a public retraction or apology.
At picnic, we can help you create cultural sensitivity guidelines for your social media strategy. Our social media team can help write and post culturally appropriate and on-brand content. Ask us how today.
