Center for Information, Technology, and Public Life
@citap.bsky.social
5K followers 48 following 79 posts
We research the intersection of technology platforms and democratic society. Our work produces insights that inform a digital future rooted in equality and justice. https://linktr.ee/unc_citap
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citap.bsky.social
Key components include:
✨Shared democratic principles for AI governance
✨Commitment to human rights and social justice
✨Framework for balancing innovation with protective oversight
✨Environmental and workforce considerations
✨Proposed research goals across five critical areas
citap.bsky.social
The statement outlines key principles and research priorities for ensuring AI development serves democratic values. The framework bridges U.S. innovation strengths with EU human rights protections, offering a unified approach to pressing challenges in AI oversight.
citap.bsky.social
“AI technologies are not inevitable… their development and widespread use are subject to democratic governance.”

We’ve released a new joint report from UNC + @unituebingen.bsky.social: "AI Governance & Democracy: A Statement of Principles and Transatlantic Research Goals".
citap.bsky.social
🚨TODAY!🚨 We'll see you all soon!

📚👀
citap.bsky.social
Join us for "Black Twitter: Talking Back and Transforming Television", a conversation on digital activism, media, and culture with Meredith D. Clark and Sherri M. Williams:
✬ March 26
✬ 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
✬ Halls of Fame, Carroll Hall
✬ Lunch provided
🔗 RSVP here: forms.office.com/r/j7cFNhTWRC
Microsoft Forms
forms.office.com
Reposted by Center for Information, Technology, and Public Life
knightgtown.bsky.social
Want to learn more? Tune in to KGI’s upcoming webinar on March 25th at 11am about how to fix the feeds 😊 Report authors will explain how algorithms are currently designed and how the report guidelines can make them better. Register now! 👇

bit.ly/4bBbraR
citap.bsky.social
Now is the time to work on that narrative.

Now is the time to reinvest in your relationships with your colleagues, students, universities, and the academic fields you are a part of to steel them for what's ahead.

Now is the time to fight for your universities.
citap.bsky.social
While there are no clear answers, drawing on his experiences in Hungary, Kristóf Szombati told CITAP and the Knight Research Network in December how important it is for researchers to craft a public narrative about the public value of institutions of higher learning and freedom of inquiry.
citap.bsky.social
"No institution wins if the sector is demoralized, defunded and delegitimized."

Read our full newsletter on the current attack on academic freedom here 👇
Resisting Attacks on Academic Freedom and Inquiry
How power, politics, and fear are undermining the heart of higher education.
open.substack.com
citap.bsky.social
As Tressie McMillan Cottom said in a recent @nytimes.com conversation, "Our current crisis is an amalgamation of two tensions: We want the elitism of prestigious universities and yet we do not want them to have any control of our culture or status."
citap.bsky.social
If we allow our universities to be gutted, we risk losing one of democracy’s fundamental pillars – the cultivation of knowledge, critical inquiry, and informed citizenship that sustain a free society.
citap.bsky.social
American higher education now faces a perfect storm of demoralization, defunding, and delegitimization​. These attacks are not random or isolated; they follow a classic authoritarian playbook, and go beyond ordinary policy disagreements and have become an existential threat to the academic sector.
citap.bsky.social
Lunch will be provided, along with some other fun items (📘👀), so RSVP to secure your spot now!

forms.office.com/Pages/Respon...
Microsoft Forms
forms.office.com
citap.bsky.social
Dr. Sherri M. Williams is the author of "Black Social Television: How Black Twitter Changed Television", highlighting how Black audiences shape media industries.
citap.bsky.social
Dr. Meredith D. Clark is the author of "We Tried to Tell Y’all: Black Twitter & Black Digital Resistance", exploring how Black Twitter amplifies marginalized voices and disrupts erasure.
citap.bsky.social
Dr. Meredith D. Clark & Dr. Sherri M. Williams will explore how Black digital communities have transformed TV, influenced representation, and challenged media gatekeepers.

Don’t miss this opportunity to engage with two leading scholars on Black digital activism!
citap.bsky.social
Join us for "Black Twitter: Talking Back and Transforming Television", a conversation on digital activism, media, and culture with Meredith D. Clark and Sherri M. Williams:
✬ March 26
✬ 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
✬ Halls of Fame, Carroll Hall
✬ Lunch provided
🔗 RSVP here: forms.office.com/r/j7cFNhTWRC
Microsoft Forms
forms.office.com
Reposted by Center for Information, Technology, and Public Life
katherinefurl.bsky.social
Ecstatic to announce I'll join the University of North Dakota this fall as an Assistant Professor of Sociology! Honored to be a part of a close-knit community of dedicated faculty and students and to represent the Eternal Flame—persevering through adversity to make a tangible impact for the better.
The Eternal Flame
Reposted by Center for Information, Technology, and Public Life
gildersleve.uk
📄 Excited to share a new dataset preprint!
WikiReddit: Tracing Information and Attention Flows Between Online Platforms
A collaboration with @beeeeeers.bsky.social, Viviane Ito, Agustin Orozco, and @ftripodi.bsky.social at @citap.bsky.social .
A screenshot of the start of the paper "WikiReddit: Tracing Information and Attention Flows Between Online Platforms"
citap.bsky.social
"We Tried to Tell Y’All: Black Twitter and the Rise of Digital Counternarratives" by Meredith Clark – exploring how Black social media users have built a vital space for resistance, storytelling, and cultural commentary.
Reposted by Center for Information, Technology, and Public Life
knightfoundation.org
The latest @pewresearch.org & Knight report reveals that almost 1 in 5 U.S. adults regularly get their news from influencers on social media. Sign up to join news influencers and social media experts on 2/16 to discuss the rapidly changing news landscape: kf.org/4aGa9e9.
Reposted by Center for Information, Technology, and Public Life
mariher.bsky.social
This is one last (unplanned) result of my Fulbright fellowship at CITAP. If you feel like reading a thorough analysis of how authoritarian tendencies overcome our democracies and what the US can learn from Central and Eastern Europe, click below
(featuring among others, @ivan-kalmar.bsky.social)
citap.bsky.social
CITAP, in collaboration with Marie Heřmanová (@mariher.bsky.social) & Kristóf Szombati, presents a very timely and important reading list:

"Authoritarian Politics: How to Understand It and How to Resist It." ...🧵

citap.unc.edu/wp-content/u...
citap.unc.edu
citap.bsky.social
"There is no more powerful political tool than occupying the high ground of popular culture." Authoritarianism thrives by shaping narratives—resisting it starts with understanding how those narratives are built.

Read, reflect, and share this tool broadly.

🔗Link in bio
citap.bsky.social
III. The War on Gender in Authoritarian Politics
Gender & identity politics are central to right-wing mobilization. This section unpacks how the Right weaponizes gender to fuel nationalism, suppress dissent, & shape political discourse.
citap.bsky.social
II. Authoritarian Politics in Everyday Life
How does authoritarianism embed itself into institutions & daily experiences? This section explores the economic, political, & cultural forces that sustain authoritarian rule—and how they adapt globally.