Whenever I am shopping online, my eyes seem to catch one or two items that the site has so conveniently suggested for my pleasure, with their strong combination of analytics and my personal data, of course. 

I never really take note of the other images on the site and their meanings in the digital world of representation, and whether or not they reflect company values.  There are always stark differences between what a company says they support and uphold, and what they actually put out there into the world.  Is this every cooperation?  Probably not.  But, a vast majority of larger companies set ethical rules for themselves that they stray from on occasion.  Kohls is no different. 

I used Kohl’s, my go-to shopping store to do a case study in how companies market themselves in the world of social change organizations, movements, and equal representation.  I know, personally, that being a white 21-year-old, I never feel underrepresented on the sites I buy clothes or goods from because the thought doesn’t even enter my head.  I have always seen myself in ads and on sites in some capacity.  I always felt welcomed by the sites. During my research, I was looking closely into ways that people could feel alienated from sites.  This could push those customers away and make them feel insecure about themselves. 

For the most part, Kohl’s does a great job of being inclusive when it comes to gender, race, and social consciousness.  They have images across the race, disability, and gender categories. Though, they struggled a bit on representation within the age category.  This could be easily changed by adding some images of perhaps grandparents playing with their grandkids, or something to that effect.  This research really forced me to take a step back and focus on the aspects of our digital world we may not think about every day, or hardly ever.  This is a great place to start re-evaluating how well online spaces are catering to the changing social world.