CITAP

Say hello to our 2022-23 Postdoctoral Research Fellows! 👋

These scholars study everything from conspiracy theories, digital governance in the global south, and news engagement. We can't wait to learn from them and support them as they begin this new journey.

Meet Yvonne Eadon, Nanditha Narayanamoorthy, and Yiping Xia ⬇️

Meet the 2022-23 Postdocs Share your videos with friends, family, and the world

The January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol continues to reverberate through our democracy, with vast implications for our political future.

As journalists and public officials continue to investigate, academic researchers can also contribute to understanding of how we got to this point, what happened and why, and how to strengthen democratic institutions going forward.

On the anniversary of Jan 6, we're proud to co-host critical conversations on the role that scholars play in explaining the attacks and countering ongoing threats to democracy.

We invite you to join us: https://citap.unc.edu/capitol-coup-one-year-later/

Join us for a discussion of The Promise of Access with author Daniel Greene, in conversation with Alice Marwick and Tressie McMillan Cottom next Friday at Wilson Library.

📢 Introducing DOES NOT COMPUTE, a CITAP podcast about technology, people, and power! 📢

Listen, subscribe, and join us this summer as we explore disinformation and identity.

When we imbue technology with mystical powers, we lose sight of the human factors, from economics to culture and politics, that shape how it's actually designed and used. At CITAP, we study tech in a human context, and we created Does Not Compute to tell these stories.

Episode 1: Introducing Does Not Compute - Center for Information, Technology, and Public Life (CITAP) On our first season of Does Not Compute, we’ll be talking about identity and disinformation. How do our communities shape what we search for, share about, and even believe? And how do malicious actors manipulate our identities to promote their … Continued

This week at CITAP: two new publications!

📢 Alice Marwick, Becca Lewis, and Will Partin dig into YouTube response videos as a vehicle for networked harassment campaigns

🐤 Shannon McGregor and Logan Molyneux show how journalists rely on Twitter for content.

Both these articles and more in Direct Messages:

Building blocks and bandwagons This week at CITAP, we welcome two new publications! Hear how YouTube response videos cause networked harassment and how journalists’ uses of tweets allow for media manipulation.

Tuesday, January 19: Join us at 10am Eastern for a conversation about the factors that anticipated the Jan 6 insurrection at the Capitol—and possible fixes.

Featuring CITAP faculty and affiliates
Tressie McMillan Cottom
Alice Marwick
Deen Freelon
Daniel Kreiss
Shannon McGregor
Francesca Tripodi
Rachel Kuo
Becca Lewis
and moderated by Robyn Caplan of Data & Society

How did we get here? Where do we go next? Information, media & US democracy Join UNC-Chapel Hill researchers for a discussion of the factors that anticipated the Jan 6 insurrection at the Capitol—and possible fixes.

The UNC Center for Media Law and Policy convened digital information experts to discuss the decline of local news, growth of digital platforms, & spread of mis- and disinformation—and what to do about it.

Now David Ardia, Evan Ringel, Tori Ekstrand, & Ashley Fox share their findings:

citap.unc.edu

This week at CITAP:
- Seeking tech boogeymen to take down
- Celebrating the Bitch Media 50
- Changing our minds
- What we can learn from reading online reviews of Silent Sam

Open thread: killing tech boogeymen In 2021, CITAP is launching a public education series to reshape this conversation, demystify technology, and put these tools and platforms in context. What topics should we take on?

This week at CITAP:
- Processing the 2020 presidential election
- Parsing Parler
- Watching Coded Bias

..and more. ICYMI, we've got the full round-up.

Should we worry about Parler? What happens in an echo chamber… spills out and affects us all.

This week at CITAP:
- False claims about tech platforms' election manipulation are just getting started
- We're ALL OVER the The New York Times opinion section
- The Election Coverage and Democracy Network's work continues

..and much more:

Google is a mirror, not a window Francesca Tripodi debunks the most frequently cited 'research' behind the “Google manipulates votes” myth.

Last week at CITAP: is the tech industry is coming to terms with the fact that it is not apolitical? We’ll see…

Polarization remains as prevalent as ever, and election forecasting may not justify the modeling. Did your group text get you through the election?

What's next? 🔮 Even while the votes are being counted, we’re peering into the future.