Global South Gen Zers represent an increasingly influential demographic, and brands are changing their tech and user experience designs as a result. Canvas8 spoke to digital anthropologist Dr. Payal Arora about the needs, innovations, and challenges of young people in the developing world.
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Payal Arora is a digital anthropologist, a TEDx speaker, and an author of award-winning books including The Next Billion Users. Her expertise lies in user experience in the Global South and inclusive design. Several international media outlets have covered her work, including The BBC, The Economist, Quartz, TechCrunch, The Boston Globe, FAZ, The Nation, and CBC. Forbes named her the 'next billion champion' and the 'right kind of person to reform tech'. She has consulted for numerous organisations including Adobe, UNHCR, GE, HP, Interpol, UNDP, Spotify, and many others. She is a professor of Inclusive AI Cultures at Utrecht University and co-founder of FemLab, a future of work initiative.
Tom Novak is a senior behavioral analyst at Canvas8. After completing his second master's degree in cultural sociology at LSE, he was drawn to cultural insight. Tom has conducted qualitative and ethnographic research from the plazas of Santiago to Coventry's suburbs. In his spare time, he can be seen rowing down the Thames or world-building around feminist science fiction.
