The I Am Not A Typo campaign is advocating for greater equality and inclusivity by encouraging tech giants to “correct autocorrect” in order to better represent the multicultural UK. Despite not taking political sides, a recent spellchecker issue with Home Secretary Priti Patel’s first name sparked the campaign, as it was highlighted that almost 41% of names of babies born in recent years were routinely marked as errors. As a result, the campaign discovered that over 5,500 names given to boys and girls in England and Wales in 2021 alone received the red line grammar correction treatment.
The names flagged up as mistakes include those of African, Asian, and Eastern European origin, and even mentioned popular monikers from Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. Names such as Ottilie, Eesa, and Dua were regarded as ‘typos’ by grammar-checkers, but these are common or even traditional names, rather than errors. This narrow representation excludes cultural diversity and correct spelling for the children and parents who use these names.
Experts of the social campaign argue that the concept of autocorrecting is not always helpful, particularly for cultural names, as changing them to an ‘alpha order’ means the technology is diminishing their language and culture. Consequently, those involved in the campaign have written an open letter to various technology companies and suggested adding the Office for National Statistics’ annual chart of favourite baby names given in England and Wales. It’s an uncomplicated solution to reflect the multicultural society, essential to a person’s identity, and it reflects an ongoing endeavor to improve our daily lives.
The campaign aims to evoke thought from technological giants to address these issues; and it’s essential to consider how we can change technology to better represent diverse communities and actively promote equality. By taking the simple step of adding regional names to electronic dictionaries, we can all help ensure that we avoid making the mistake of othering cultures and being harmful to individuals when writing online
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