In this interview with the SSRC, anthropologists Sahana Udupa and Ethiraj Gabriel Dattatreyan discuss their book Digital Unsettling: Decoloniality and Dispossession in the Age of Social Media (New York University Press.2023).  Their work explores the intricate ways that digital networks shape – and are shaped by – ongoing struggles against coloniality, through the lens of student-led antiracism protests, data capture, academic practices, and a rise in right-wing extreme speech around the world. Udupa and Dattatreyan offer insight into the fieldwork that informed their findings and the implications for power hierarchies in the contemporary digital environment.

As AI continues to dominate public attention and private investment worldwide, regulatory scrutiny of every point in the “AI stack” becomes more pressing. The data that defines many AI products differs from that of other computing technologies, requiring a new set of policy interventions. Data raises fundamental questions on the sustainability of the “bigger is better” paradigm, the worldview of the models, the standards of development, and the capturing of human preferences in feedback. Questions about regulation and policy are essential when the paradigms driving AI development incentivize the reckless and often invasive collection of data about people and communities.

How important is the internet to the far-right provocateurs who use it? After the 2017 “Unite the Right” rally, the city of Charlottesville threw the book at its self-described white nationalist organizers. They discovered that the Unite the Right march was planned in Facebook groups and chats, advertised using memes from 4chan and Reddit, spread like wildfire across Discord servers and gaming lobbies, and was virtually attended through live-streams, forums, and chat rooms. In response, activists, scholars, and policymakers have pushed technology companies to regulate far-right content on their platforms. Social media platforms like Facebook and YouTube removed offensive accounts, such as ones for the Proud Boys, in a tactic called “deplatforming.”

In the fast-evolving landscape of the digital age, authors in 2023 have produced insightful works that delve into the intersections of technology, human rights, data, and societal values. In this year’s book roundup, we delve into thought-provoking works that dissect the multifaceted dimensions of our digital existence and propose visionary solutions for navigating its challenges. From countering extremism to reclaiming human rights, these books offer invaluable insights into shaping a more equitable and humane digital future.

This article provides a transcript of a webinar hosted by the SSRC to discuss a new, open-access issue of the ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. The four panelists contributed pieces to the special issue that shed light on the specific information needs of marginalized communities, and discussed how information systems might be changed in order to meet those needs. The transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.