NYU's Center for Social Media and Politics

A deep dive from The Washington Post about how misinformation is more likely to spread in Spanish-language media and communities. Why? Less resources to correct lies in Spanish, different cultural histories, and different media diets. Also includes our recent research from Marisa Abrajano, Marianna Garcia, Aaron Pope, Robert Vidigal, PhD, Joshua Tucker, and jonathan nagler. https://lnkd.in/dgsj-F42

There's a perfect storm here: As disinformation surges, social media platforms (taking Elon Musk's lead) have reduced content moderation efforts. At the same time, they've also gotten rid of the tools outside researchers use to study them.

Since ChatGPT’s launch nearly two years ago, there’s been widespread concern that AI would pose a significant threat to elections. At yesterday's event with the Brennan Center for Justice, our expert panel discussed AI's role in the 2024 race, how election officials are preparing, and AI’s broader impact on trust in the information ecosystem. Featuring Shannon Bond, Adrian Fontes, Larry Norden, Vivian Schiller, and Joshua Tucker. https://lnkd.in/epyqjz-B

Excited to publish my latest, with Meghan Conroy, via the Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab): "Apocalypse Later? The real impact of AI on the 2024 elections." Based on interviews, survey research, and focus groups of tech policy experts, election specialists, and political consultants, we explored the most widely feared scenarios related to generative AI (GAI) and threats to election integrity. Those exercises led to the conclusion, increasingly shared by others, that GAI threats are less novel and less imminent than forecast in 2023. If experts are not careful about how they frame this topic, though, public anxiety about GAI, however, could worsen the twin challenges of a slipping grip on our shared reality and declining voter trust in news and information. Read it here: https://lnkd.in/gHCSHMcu

Thank you to everyone who joined yesterday's event in DC! Across two panels, experts discussed how the research & policy communities can work together, and learn from each other, on work regarding foreign influence campaigns, disinformation, and generative AI. A big thank you to our partners the Knight-Georgetown Institute, Princeton's Center for the Study of Democratic Politics, and the NYU Brademas Center for their support, and to the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs for hosting us in their wonderful DC space. And thank you to the experts who joined our discussions: Alissa Cooper, Jake Shapiro, Joshua Tucker, Jessica Brandt, Lindsay Hundley, PhD, Ellen Nakashima, Gavin Wilde, Renee DiResta, Alex Engler, Josh Goldstein, Samir Jain, & Lisa Singh. Our goal for the day was to bridge the gap between researchers studying the evolving online landscape and the policy community working to regulate it. We hope this event is the first of many more fruitful conversations to come!

Can we rebuild trust in the information environment? Watch yesterday's event with the Center for News, Technology & Innovation - CNTI, where Brandi Collins-Dexter, Indira Lakshmanan, Amy Mitchell, Jay Rosen, and Zeve Sanderson deepened our understanding of this problem and thought through possible solutions.

The myth that social media harms kids drives me bonkers. So I tried to frame my thinking of risks vs. harms in today's rant: https://lnkd.in/g9iw9xEh

The University of Washington’s Center for an Informed Public is seeking a Director of Strategy and Operations (DSO) to join our team as a key leader to help guide and steward this multidisciplinary institute through its next phase of development and growth. Working in close collaboration with the Center’s Executive Council, the DSO will be responsible for developing and overseeing organizational strategy, designing and implementing a diverse array of programs, and helping to ensure the sustainability of the Center’s goals, activities, and efforts. Learn more about this job opportunity, including salary range, minimum qualifications, additional required qualifications, desired qualifications, and application process: https://lnkd.in/gXUT3GWb

A big welcome to Scott Babwah Brennen, who just relaunched the Center on Technology Policy at NYU. Looking forward to working together!

As the southeast recovers from Hurricane Helene, conspiracy theories are hurting relief efforts. This is just the latest evidence of Americans' loss of trust in institutions. We'll discuss this breakdown in trust, and how to rebuild it, tomorrow at 12pm ET. Details 👇