Image from Diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace by University of Kansas

Hi everyone, 

In this blog, we’ll discuss the importance and benefits of having a diverse and inclusive personal learning network (PLN), as well as ways to ensure that our PLNs reflect these important aspects. 

What is Diversity and Inclusion?

Diversity in a PLN involves including people from various fields, backgrounds, and levels of expertise. Not limited to just gender, sexual orientation, religion, race, it also encompasses neurodiversity (the different ways our brains work) and varying personalities. That being said, having diversity alone doesn’t guarantee that everyone has an equal chance to contribute. This is where inclusion plays a crucial role – to ensure people feel welcomed and and their opinions and contributions are valued. An inclusive culture allows diversity to thrive and make an impact.

Diverse PLN Benefits

Why is diversity important? Learning from a diverse group with various personal and professional backgrounds ensures we don’t limit ourselves to a narrow range of viewpoints and expertise. By blending new knowledge with what we already know, we inspire fresh ideas and keep the positive feedback loop going through continuous sharing.

Reflecting on the software engineering PLN I discussed in Blog 3, the developers I connect with come from diverse backgrounds, with varying career paths, locations, and cultures, which has significantly broadened my perspective. However, I’ve noticed that my PLN lacks female voices, and I’m committed to enhancing its diversity in this area moving forward.

In terms of experience levels, I realize there are unique benefit from engaging with content creators at all stages:

• New Learners: Interacting with beginners helps me revisit fundamental concepts and recognize common mistakes, which can be quite enlightening and encouraging, too. It also shows me how much I’ve grown.

• Intermediate Experts: These individuals often provide practical, actionable insights that are highly applicable to my own work and learning.

• Advanced Professionals: Experts introduce complex ideas that expand my understanding, even if their advanced concepts aren’t immediately applicable.

Each interaction fuels personal and professional growth in its own way. I highly encourage all of us to embrace diversity in our PLN, as it not only enhances our current knowledge but also inspires continuous innovation and improvement. 

Creating an Inclusive PLN 

In my opinion, building an inclusive environment is more challenging than ensuring diversity. While diversity is easier to measure, inclusion focuses on the emotional aspect—making people feel welcomed and valued. Sometimes, we might not even realize we’re not treating everyone fairly, due to biases buried deep in our subconscious mind. Dawn Bennett-Alexander highlights this issue in the TED talk below and offers down-to-earth tips for fostering inclusion in the workplace.

There is a quote that I really like from the video: “Different doesn’t mean less than”. Dawn concluded that, at the end of the day, it’s all about love and how you treat people. 

Applying this to our PLN, it’s crucial to keep an open mind and genuinely engage with the diverse voices around us. By actively listening and valuing each person’s unique perspective, we can create a more inclusive PLN where everyone feels heard and appreciated. Fostering inclusion ensures that the diverse voices in our PLN can contribute meaningfully to our learning and growth.

Challenges of Inclusivity in Digital Spaces

The major challenge in embracing inclusivity is being unaware of our own subconscious biases. These can include prejudice, stereotypes, insensitive language, or failing to properly recognize others’ contribution, which can hurt people’s feelings. To foster inclusivity online, it’s important to support everyone. Here are some ideas that I think we can apply:

• Avoid intimidating newbies or overly criticizing those who speak up
• Use inclusive and respectful language, and express your opinions diplomatically. 
• Take the time to understand different perspectives before dismissing any contributions, as we often don’t know the full context.  
• Avoid making assumptions, ask yourself if they are a stereotype.
• Be mindful of pronouns
• Additionally, given how social media algorithms work, we can promote inclusion by liking and sharing posts that help others discover new voices and topics.

This article by Jennifer Herrity further suggests many great advice to building an inclusive workplace, but they are also applicable to building an inclusive PLN and in digital spaces in general. Check it out!

Social Media Dynamics

Each social media platform has its own unique culture. On LinkedIn, I maintain a more professional tone due to its career focus, while I use informal and playful language for personal posts on Instagram. I explored the differences in my digital identities and interactions more thoroughly in Blog 2. Overall, I strive to be respectful on all platforms and ensure that my content is always appropriate. Now that I’ve gained a better understanding of the importance of diversity and inclusion in digital spaces, moving forward, I’m committed to being even more mindful of inclusivity and supportiveness in all my social media interactions!

That’s it for this week’s blog. I hope you found these insights valuable and that they inspire you to enhance your own PLN with greater diversity and inclusivity.

Take care,

Julia