CEO and Founder of HER Robyn Exton Shares How She Celebrates Pride from Her Corner of the Internet

Here at Mozilla, we are the first to admit the internet isn’t perfect, but we are also quick to point out that the internet is pretty darn magical. The internet opens up doors and opportunities, allows for people to connect with others, and lets everyone find where they belong — their corners of the internet. We all have an internet story worth sharing. In My Corner of the Internet, we talk with people about the online spaces they can’t get enough of, what we should save in Pocket to read later and what sites and forums shaped them.

With Pride celebrations taking place throughout June, we’re featuring LGBTQ+ leaders this month as part of our My Corner of the Internet series. Today Robyn Exton, CEO & Founder of HER, talks to us about her love of reality TV shows, her obsession with online real estate and the newest Pride features in her app.

What is your favorite corner of the internet?

The queer corner, especially Queer Tiktok! It has been a joy to get sucked in to. The accounts I can’t get enough of are Jessica Out of the Closet and Ty Deran.

What is an internet deep dive that you can’t wait to jump back into?

I’m really into looking at houses online at the moment, and the weirder the better. I like changing my settings on Zillow to look in crazy weird locations and at different prices to see what comes up. That behavior has crossed into my social media and I’m now following realtors in places like Istanbul and Bangkok. Don’t know how I got here but I love it.

What is the one tab on your browser you always regret closing?

The metrics page for HER – I just end up opening it again 30 minutes later because a new idea strikes or I become obsessed with checking a next AB test.

Who is an LGBTQ+ person with a very online presence that is a role model for you? 

Alok Vaid-Menon because they are such a talented writer, powerful speaker, educator and all-round inspiration.

What can you not stop talking about on the internet right now?

Our Pride Pins in the HER app launched June 1st. We’ve always had core Pins for identity like lesbian, bisexual, trans, queer, etc. But now with Pride festivals, we’ve added a seasonal collection for each city that celebrates a local community landmark. My favorites are the London one (where I’m from) with Gays the Word on there, and the New York one featuring Cubby Hole because its one of my favorite remaining lesbian bars. But they’re all so cute, I love them!

What was the first online community you engaged with?

I used to play this online game called SissyFight that had chat rooms around it. It’s an online video game where you fight other girls in the playground [as an early exploration of bullying between young girls and the emotional impact] and I remember it being pretty intense for a teen, but I loved it and met a bunch of people online there.

What articles and videos are in your Pocket waiting to be read/watched right now? 

A million Web3 things I think I should understand but still dont really really get. 

If you could create your own corner of the internet what would it look like?

It would be filled with reality TV dating shows with only queer contestants and people falling in love and breaking up and all the drama around it. I love reality dating shows and can’t bloody wait for them to get more queer.

Robyn Exton is the CEO & Founder of HER, the world’s largest dating and community app for queer women, nonbinary, trans and gender non-conforming folks. HER builds products and experiences that connect queers in the way that works best for them. The app is home to 10 million people across the world, with dating and community connections. With content, events and communities, HER is opening up opportunities for LGBTQ women and queer folks that never existed before.