Pride Month: Language Creates Reality

Language is something that has occupied the sciences for millennia. Why does language exist? If you break it down: so that people can communicate. Language changes. Why? Because people change. Communication is an integral part of being human and a powerful tool for describing reality, but also for shaping it.?

In media relations work, language is, of course, mainly used to make the advantages and successes of products, brands, and companies visible - to give them that extra "spark". So why should the communications industry engage with social issues when there is no obvious connection between the product/brand and the social issue??

Shaping Reality??

Just as people and language change, society also changes. And with it, the customer base. At this point, I could go on at length about how the LGBTQ+ community represents a large, modern market that can be tapped into. But having a spotlight in the public eye brings responsibility and influence – and it’s important to use this privilege.?

For example: A company does not engage with the LGBTQ+ community all year round. But June is Pride Month, which is a good opportunity to focus specifically on this community and attract them as customers. Of course, one month of visibility is better than none, but we live in the age of authenticity – and this approach to targeting an LGBTQ+ customer base risks coming off as inauthentic. As such, customers are unlikely to be loyal to a company, if you want to look at it purely from a business perspective. Moreover, this approach misses the opportunity to help shape the reality we live in through communication.?

Diversity is More Than a Trend??

A company that makes long-term efforts towards inclusion – for example, through gender-neutral language, and the creation of diverse content – contributes to creating a more inclusive reality. From the perspective of employer branding, it also makes much more sense to think about inclusion holistically, since there are many more people who identify as queer than are publicly visible. A company that acts authentically and inclusively is heading towards the future, instead of holding on to antiquated notions of how things work.?

In times when creative professions are afraid of being replaced by AI, it is all the more important not to lose and uphold the "human" perspective on things. Humanity is diverse. Our society is diverse. Therefore, our way of communicating and acting should be too. Companies would never publicly communicate that they exclude people – so why should they do so by treating inclusion and diversity only as a trend??