Social Science Research Council Research AMP Just Tech

Extreme Speech in Encrypted Messaging: Recommendations for Holistic Policy

Encrypted messaging platforms can be hotbeds of extreme speech. But how can policy meet competing demands — to reduce the spread of harmful content, while still upholding privacy rights and robust cybersecurity? At a time when trust and safety protocols are being rolled back across social media, this report lays out opportunities for a nuanced, multi-stakeholder approach to encrypted platform governance.

“If It’s Funny, I Share It”: Rethinking Teen Misinformation Education Through Empathy

Teens don’t just share posts because they’re true; they share them because they’re funny, relatable, or attention-grabbing. This article argues that integrating social-emotional learning into media literacy can shift teens from mindless sharing to empathetic, responsible digital participation. By meeting teens where they are, we can foster more mindful engagement in today’s fast-moving online world.

Three Recommendations for Effective Climate Communication

How we talk about climate change matters. This piece explores how shifting from crisis-driven narratives to solutions-focused, locally grounded, and lifestyle-aware climate communication can move audiences from eco-anxiety to action. With practical insights, it offers journalists and communicators tools to engage the public more effectively and empower them to respond.

Open Call

MediaWell’s Digital Information Syllabus Builder

MediaWell is inviting scholars and educators to explore our Zotero library—a curated collection of 5,500+ cross-disciplinary texts on digital information ecosystems. This open call encourages you to design and share course syllabi using our resources! Interested? Email us by July 14, 2025.

Book Round Up

Shaping the Digital World: Key Reads on Influence, Power, and AI

How is digital power distributed, and who gets to shape the future? This book roundup highlights recent books tackling key topics like influence, governance, AI ethics, trust, and activism. With expert perspectives from scholars and industry insiders, these books unpack the narratives shaping our present and future, along with a preview of 2025’s must-read titles.

Research Topics

  • Algorithms and Automation

    Researchers are exploring how disinformation campaigns use bots and automation tools, and how algorithms can encode and reproduce biases and ideologies.
  • Polarization and Political Manipulation

    In recent years, the consequences of ideological polarization have increased dramatically within the rise of political manipulation from mis- and disinformation spread both online and off. This research topic explores the causes of growing polarity and divides among ideological communities and searches for solutions.
  • Targeted Disinformation

    Recent research reveals how contemporary online harassment fits into historical patterns of oppression of women, minorities, and vulnerable groups.

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