Exclusive: These Women Of Color Are Putting The Power Back In The Hands Of Black Creators
While TikTok has faced massive backlash from Black creators who claim they aren’t getting credit for their content, are getting deleted for talking about racism and social injustice issues, and not getting paid their worth in comparison to white TikTok-ers, Instagram has swooped in to give them a voice. Last Monday, Instagram announced a new special tag feature that will allow content creators to get the proper credit for their posts and videos.
The new feature was created by Alexis Michelle Adjei, Cameryn Boyd, and Alexandra Zaoui who wanted to do something about the disparities between Black creators who are often creating trends but rarely seeing as much profit, virality, or credit for their contributions in the social media landscape. The trio, who works for Facebook’s rebranded company Meta, spoke with xoNecole exclusively about the groundbreaking work they are doing.
“Alexis, Cameryn, and I came up with the idea and kick-started this project after witnessing how Black creators were overlooked and under-compensated despite originating the trends (dances, songs, etc.) that were being virally distributed across social media,” said data analyst Alexandra Zaoui.
“We wanted to ensure that creators get the credit they deserve, especially in a time when that kind of visibility directly leads to brand deals and other monetary opportunities. Rather than just calling out the problem, we wanted to build a tangible, product-driven solution to encourage a culture of crediting which honors the etiquette that we saw already happening on Instagram with people tags.”
Courtesy of Alexandra Zaoui
Erin White
The enhanced tag is only available for business and creator accounts and Instagram’s website provided instructions on how to add the tag to a post. The website also described enhanced tags as a way to “allow a creator's self-designated profile category on their professional accounts to be displayed in their People Tag so that people can share and view a creator's specific contribution to a photo or video post.”
Alexis, who is also a data analyst, shared with xoNecole how their thoughts turned into reality. “Creators consistently do their job of innovating, uplifting, and driving culture through their various artistry forms,” she said.
“Through social media, this has blossomed into life-changing, economic-advancing opportunities that notably exclude underserved creators, namely Black and brown trendsetters and originators. That’s when it becomes our jobs, those working across social media, to listen intently to the needs in the community and think critically and creatively about how to solve these equality gaps– and that’s exactly what Alexandra, Cameryn, and I aspired to do when we developed enhanced tags.”
Courtesy of Cameron Boyd and Alexis Michelle Adjei
Noemie Tshinanga
“We know that this is only a first step, but we’re passionate about accepting the responsibility on the product side to build tools that ensure a healthy, equitable creator ecosystem for all.”
The new Instagram feature comes on the heels of the more recent criticism TikTok received after Forbes named the top-earners on the social site, which were all non-Black creators. The list included Addison Rae, who was called out last year for performing Black creator Jalaiah Harmon’s viral “Renegade” dance during her appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Addison has since apologized and the late-night talk show host brought Jalaiah on the show along with other Black creators.
But that’s just one example of the attempted erasure of Black creativity.
Software engineer Cameryn hopes that the enhanced tag will be a part of the change that needs to happen in order for Black creators to have as much visibility as their white counterparts. “We hope that all social media platforms will start to take crediting more seriously,” she said.
“As creators are increasingly becoming more of the focus, it’s imperative that these platforms put more of the onus on themselves to ensure that content is properly attributed and fairly compensated. We don’t want underrepresented creators to be left behind. We hope enhanced tags will create this social pressure to hold each other more accountable for giving credit since it’s now integrated within the product and easy to do.”
Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for daily love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
Featured image by Noemie Tshinanga
- Funding Resources For Black Women Entrepreneurs - xoNecole ... ›
- 9 Instagram Pages Building Positive Communities For Black Women ›
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for daily love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
ItGirl In Motion: Paige Shari Addison Shows Us Why She's The Hostess With The Mostess
Paige Shari Addison is the epitome of an ItGirl, which is why she is one of 100 ladies on xoNecole's inaugural ItGirl 100 list in partnership with Hyundai. Hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, Paige started her journey as a host in high school by hosting parties. Since then, she has made a career in hosting, from parties to big-name events, and she launched Strictly RNB, a platform for new artists and R&B lovers. Paige reflects on her creative path in the limited video series "ItGirl in Motion."
“My first curated event at Criminal Records was incredible. It was all for up-and-coming artists,” she says. “I needed a platform for us as a collective to be able to give ourselves the platform instead of asking for it, instead of looking for it. I was like, I want to make sure I let people get this experience that I would give as a performer but enjoy the experience with them. It was a dream come true.”
The Atlanta native also has her own line of acai bowls called Soulfull Bowls. She started it during the pandemic after events and parties shut down. But it was her love for eating acai bowls and the reactions others had to them that made her want to make it her next business move. Being open to creating new ventures in the midst of uncertainty is a bold move and one of the reasons why Paige has the “it” factor.
“Being an ItGirl means you’re just authentic. There’s an air to us. We have confidence that exudes from the way we speak, the way we put our lip gloss on, the way we walk, the way we talk. I show up as myself everytime I walk into a room. I’m hospitable, I make sure everybody’s good,” she says.
Get to know more about the hostess with the mostess in the video above.
See our ItGirl 100 list in full here. Click through the gallery below for some BTS moments of Paige and our partnership with Hyundai.
Director: Mikkoh @mikkoh
Production company: @polly___studio
Producer/AD: Samuel Cho @choboi90
Producer/Tech: Paul Nguyen @paul__winn
DP: Cristian Bernal @cristianbernal
Editor: @30inthemorning
2nd Cam: Paul Nguyen
1st AC: AJ Paug @ajpaug Gaffer: Dennis Albert @dennisalbert_
Audio Mixer: Victor Chavez @vic_the__
PA: Rick Carreno @ispeakrick
PA: Tiffany Do @tivani.doee
BTS Photo: Prime @theartofprime
Car Detail: @sud_studs @slugglobal
Creative Director @hellobosco
Team Lead @kevgumbo3000
Project Manager @zakk_jullot
Creative Producer @iamkingsheyla
Designers @miacolemxn @noelspiva
@xoNecole
Director, Integrated Marketing @_vang
Campaign Manager @kingchachiii
Talent Lead @kaylawalker
Feature image by Prime/ @theartof prime