As part of MediaWell’s video essay series on transnational digital governance, law and technology expert Ivar Hartmann (Insper, Brazil) outlines some of the topics dominating the field’s attention – and those that aren’t, but should. 

Where generative AI and the downstream effects of geopolitical conflict have captured much of the conversation in research and policy circles, this essay calls for a collective focus shift towards issues with at least as much impact – if not more – on our everyday lives, like platform work, content recommendation algorithms, and “outside-the-box” attempts to regulate Big Tech.

As part of MediaWell’s video essay series on transnational digital governance, researcher Robert Gorwa describes the issues and challenges that he thinks will define the next five years — and how the models of governance that drive them are in flux.

This essay explores the rise of what Gorwa calls “informal digital governance institutions.” While transnational cooperation on digital policy has increasingly given way to confrontation over the last year, these institutions — mostly comprised of technology firms, often with civil society and sometimes government involvement — have taken on a central role, developing the standards and infrastructure to address key issues.

According to the Pew Research Center, at least half of U.S. adults rely on social media for information about current events. But what happens when they leave those platforms behind?

In this interview, media scholar Margaret Yee Man Ng explores the phenomenon of “social media stampedes” — cases of mass user exodus from a specific platform, often in response to sudden or controversial policy changes. Drawing on her own research, Dr. Ng discusses previous stampedes, the (un)successful migration to alternative sites, and the long-term implications for trusted digital information networks.

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.

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.