If you’re a regular user of CSS (and hey, if you’re reading this you probably are) you should definitely complete the State of CSS survey, an annual survey of CSS features. Registering your opinion of CSS features, frameworks, tools and resources is helpful to the CSS world as it helps browsers and working groups figure out what to prioritise. If enough people shout loudly enough about a particular feature then it increases the chance that we’ll get to be able to use that feature a bit sooner.
Rightly or wrongly, I often think there’s a bit of intrinsic bias built into tools like surveys. The people most enthusiastic about taking the survey are often the ones who pride themselves in keeping up with the latest CSS news, and are more likely to have experimented with new features. (I include myself here.) In my experience speaking at conferences and working with other developers, I come across a far larger proportion of front end and full-stack developers whose knowledge of CSS is sufficient to do their job, but which doesn’t extend to the latest and greatest features. This is purely anecdotal, of course. But my hunch is that with the lay-offs and cut-backs we’ve seen in the past year or so, CSS is becoming further deprioritised in the jobs market, and companies are favouring “full-stack” candidates for new roles. It means that even while the development of new CSS features is accelerating, the depth of knowledge in the wider community of developers is declining. Paradoxically, the people who already view CSS as “hard” are the ones who might benefit the most from the new CSS features designed to make developers’ lives easier. But being less involved with the CSS community, they are perhaps less likely to take the survey, and therefore their views aren’t represented.
A survey isn’t the only way to register your interest in CSS, of course. You could comment on Github issues (or raise your own), or write or speak about CSS in the community. But if you’re a member of an under-represented group, there’s all the more reason to take the survey. We need more than the opinions of straight white men in order for technology to thrive and to ensure it serves the needs of a diverse population.
Where Are All the Not-men of CSS?
Speaking of diversity...in last question of the survey participants are encouraged to list individuals whose work they follow in the community. I usually list a bunch of people here, there are so many individuals doing great work writing blogs, publishing demos and making videos. One thing I noticed this time around is the number of men I’m aware of doing this stuff has increased, while the proportion of women, non-binary, or non-gender conforming people has declined. Maybe I’m just not following the right people? Or has the ratio of men to others become more skewed? Perhaps all the women and NB folk are burnt out by work, life and the state of the world in general to care too much about CSS right now, or to spend time waxing lyrical about it? (I know I am.) Honestly, being able to spend large amounts of time exploring CSS feels like a luxury as the moment, when the job market is so hostile towards anything other than JS and “full-stack” development.
It could well be just my perception that’s changed. But it’s a far cry from 2019, when I spoke at a CSS conference that featured six out of seven female speakers. It feels a little like we’re going backwards.