Inclusive language is a fairly simple resource that consists of substituting or transforming the sensitive words of excluding women, into others that include them.
Users, users, and users
Spelling and social media have never been exactly best friends. In recent years many people have joined the internet spelling guerilla, pointing out every misplaced bov on Twitter; but most continue to do more or less what they want. And very well what they do.
So if someone has left the internet in the last two years (we don’t blame them), it probably won’t surprise them when they get back that there are a lot of young people typing ‘chicks’, ‘friends’ or ‘workers’. It’s going to be one of those spelling fads, like embedded caps, right? But the moment you see that people with gray hair and even well-known companies are talking weirdly like that, you’ll start to think that something is going on here.
What is this inclusive language?
Well yes, something happens here: those people/organizations are using inclusive language. They will say well, that is also a progressive spelling fashion, right? The reality is that inclusive language is a way of claiming gender equality through language, also including the female population in it so as not to make it invisible. It may be a fashion, yes, but right now it is a trending topic in the online world.
It is a fairly simple resource to understand, identify and use. It consists of substituting or transforming the sensitive words of excluding women, into others that include them. This can be done in different ways, both in oral and written language:
- Substitution for an inclusive expression. Hello everyone -> Hello everyone
- Duplication of the gender of the word. Hello everyone -> Hello everyone
- Transformation with a symbol. Hello everyone -> Hello everyone / Hello everyone / Hello everyone
Is this possible to do?
Some of these forms are not correct in the eyes of the RAE, since “the generic use of the masculine” is supposed to be sufficient to include both genders. People who defend the use of inclusive language argue that it is not enough, and consider this way of fighting for gender equality more important than the norms of an entity that, after all, does not own the language.
What do the brands paint here?
If there is something we can agree on, it is that society is changing a lot, and most companies are trying to adapt (however they can) to this transformation. In this new paradigm
Brands are going from being aseptic and objective entities to clearly expressing their philosophy, their values, their actions and their contribution to social progress.
In today, a world benchmark in terms of awareness of gender inequality, what brand does not have equality among the values it defends?
In this interconnected world, where companies are more exposed than ever, everything a brand does or says communicates its values. And that is why they should begin to ask about inclusive language: because what they do or stop doing in this regard will determine the message they send to society.
Some have moved the tab, starting to use it in their social networks. They are still a small minority, and sometimes they find a part of their public not very happy with those messages, but it is a trend to watch.
And what should I do?
This may stay in a spelling fashion, as we joked at the beginning. It is also possible that, as brands have changed so much in recent years, all of them will also become this, and tomorrow’s networks will be full of x’s and it’s for a good cause. Of course, from 40deFiebre we are not going to tell anyone how they have to think or speak.
What we can affirm is that the best thing for a brand is to decide what it wants to communicate on its networks and how to do it, assessing whether or not to use this type of language.
So what has been said: goodbye to… everyone!
