As one of the “top dogs” in social media (if not the top dog), Facebook has always seemed to be at the helm of all things progressive, no matter what the issue or cause.
The current hot topic propelling Facebook into the news involves the redesign of Facebook’s “friends” icon. The icon, which used to illustrate the silhouettes of a man and a woman, with the man positioned in the forefront, now features the same man and woman on even ground.
Photo Credit: www.CNN.com
The Facebook “groups” icon also saw an overhaul in progressive design. Prior to last week, the “groups” icon featured a man in front shouldered by another man and a woman, and now it positions a woman in the front with two gender ambiguous characters behind her. While these updates may seem like subtle changes, many Facebook users are championing Facebook for its stance on gender equality.
Photo Credit: www.readwrite.com
Facebook is no stranger to shaking things up. In February 2014, Facebook introduced an expanded list of gender categories, including custom selection and 58 gender options.
Just a month later, Facebook made headlines by adding relationship statuses such as, “civil union” and “domestic partnership” to its repertoire. Furthermore, Facebook’s outward support for same-sex marriage was also seen in its recent “Celebrate Pride” rainbow profile picture filter presented during the days following the Supreme Court’s legalization of gay marriage.
Compared to other companies, Facebook is dedicated to providing its users with a more welcoming and cohesive social media experience. The design manager of Facebook, Caitlin Winner, reflected on this in the blog Medium:
“We all want to continue to make Facebook the best it can be, to have culture of doing rather than complaining, to grow a company where ideas can spread organically, and to build a platform that is relevant for people from its core features down to the smallest of icons.”
Once again Facebook seems to have done it all, and has certainly paved the way for other social media companies to follow in suit. We can’t wait to see what they do next.
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