Influencer Deja Foxx says the Future of Social Media Policy Needs to be Feminist
Shaping the Future of Social Media as a Catalyst for Change
Influencer Deja Foxx hopes the future of media - specifically social media is feminist. While MAKERS was celebrating its partners, those people we walk hand in hand with to fight for a future that is equitable for women in the workplace and the world, Foxx told us what she hopes for when it comes to a future that is filled with change makers like herself.
“I was actually a media studies major at Columbia, social media has played the biggest role in becoming a change maker,” explained the recent graduate. “Because it's not just about consuming content, it's also about creating and connecting.”
Female Influencers Have Power
Influencers are a powerful bunch these days, especially females, more than 77% actively monetize their content according to Collabstr’s 2023 Influencer Marketing Report. The platform with the widest gender gap where women account for 79% of the influencers, far outweigh their male creator counterparts, is Instagram, who’s parent company is META ($META). TikTok comes in second with 76% of its creators being female.
Foxx’s success as an influencer and founder of GenZ Girl Gang wasn’t just handed to her. As a teenager who experienced homelessness and began advocating for reproductive justice before she was 19, she worked hard at creating content that resonated across GenZ.
Earning a place in the right rooms
“It's given me the opportunity to meet women who have absolutely put me into rooms that I never could have dreamed of, saw my potential, and pushed me to see it too, and made a real tangible difference in my own personal and professional wellbeing,” said Foxx.
One of those women, Vice President Kamala Harris where she worked as an influencer and surrogate strategist, becoming one of the youngest staffers on a presidential campaign in modern history. But to really be a change maker, Foxx is looking to Social Media Policy.
“To be honest with you, we're far behind right now in terms of social media policy, tech policy, but I have a vision of a future where algorithms are feminists, where they're anti-racist, and where women are safe online to take up space in the public narrative.”
Listening to Change Makers Makes Change Happen
Social media policy is wrapped up in local, state and national politics. Foxx thinks that those people might be harder to convince and conceive of policies that might actually have impact.
“The truth is that the people that inspire me most do this work are the versions of my younger self who I know are out there right now,” said Foxx. “And so I would love to be in their head asking them what it is exactly that they need and how I can best show up for them.”