Decolonizing creativity in the digital era
Laura Mariah Herman, Payal Arora · 2023
This paper explores the importance of decolonizing creativity in the digital era within the context of the platformised creator economy. We argue that technology has largely been designed for Western audiences by Western audiences, thereby overlooking an enormous segment of global Internet users who exist outside of the Global North. To take a truly inclusive approach to design research, it is imperative to consider local impacts and vernacular realities of designed platforms. Therefore, we share the results of fieldwork conducted with young people in India to produce a non-Western, decolonial perspective on digital creativity and algorithmic cultures. In sharing these findings, we also introduce a framework for other scholars to use when synthesizing globally-minded research on digital creativity: Creativity As… Access, Identity, Expression, and Data. In sharing deep insights into local realities pertaining to these topics, this paper contributes to ongoing discourse surrounding digital creativity and algorithmic cultures by offering a non-Western perspective. We compare these results with relevant findings in the West to reveal creative universalisms as well as unique local cultural needs. Through the latter, we highlight the importance of designing platforms with relevant audiences in mind and considering local vernacular realities when making design decisions.