News and Events
In the News
Elon Musk doesn’t understand free speech – or Twitter – at all
Lab director Siva Vaidhyanathan on the aquisition of Twitter by Elon Musk. Image from shutterstock.
The Guardian
There’s a Reason No Smart Buyer Already Purchased Twitter
Article by lab director Siva Vaidhyanathan. Image from shutterstock.
Slate
The Modem World Release
Lab faculty Kevin Driscoll's new book is released by Yale University Press - The Modem World: A Prehistory of Social Media
Yale University Press
Technology of the Oppressed Released
Technology of the Oppressed: Inequality and the Digital Mundane in the Favelas of Brazil. New book by lab faculty David Nemer has been released by MIT Press.
The MIT Press
The New Abnormal Podcast
Lab director Siva Vaidhyanthan joins this episode of The New Abnormal to discuss his show, Democracy in Danger.
The Daily Beast
The Nationalism of Facebook
The company has treated most of the planet with all the care of an invading imperial force.
Slate
COVID-19 in the Twitterverse, from epidemic to pandemic: information‚ sharing behavior and Twitter as an information carrier
Media Lab post-doc Miyoung Chong was selected as the recipient of the SIG Social Media Research Award for 2021 for her recently published paper. Read it here.
Scientometrics
What If Regulating Facebook Fails?
It seems increasingly likely that antitrust and content moderation tools aren’t up to the task. Here’s what we do next. Article by Lab Director Siva Vaidhyanathan. Image from Shutterstock.
Wired
What is at stake with Nikole Hannah-Jones being denied tenure
Unlike her white predecessors, Hannah-Jones will be offered a five-year term without tenure. Here’s why that matters. Opinion by Lab Director Siva Vaidhyanathan.
The Guardian
The New Nightmare Scenario for the Media
It’s worse than the old nightmare scenario. Opinion by Lab Director Siva Vaidhyanathan.
Slate
Podcast: The Poisoned Fruit of Facebook
Lab Director Siva Vaidhyanathan joins the podcast Tel Aviv Review to discuss the challenges Facebook poses for both society and democracy. Image from Shutterstock.
TLV1 - Tel Aviv Review
The Year Journalism Starts Paying Reparations
Lab faculty Meredith Clark on the idea of reparative journalism: “Reparative journalism is explicit in its commitment to doing the work of racial justice, and by extension — without apology — socia
NiemanLab
Q&A: A closer look at social media's role in the GameStop stock surge
Media Lab faculty member Lana Swartz addresses the role of social media in the GameStop stock frenzy.
UVA Today
Making Sense of the Facebook Menace
Can the largest media platform in the world ever be made safe for democracy? By Siva Vaidhyanathan