Interview with Joan Donovan

Joan Donovan is director of 바카라사이트 Technology and Social Change Research Project at 바카라사이트 Harvard Kennedy School¡¯s Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Public Policy. She is widely recognised as a leading expert on political disinformation, having produced groundbreaking studies of Trump-era attacks on truth that have taught policymakers, health professionals and 바카라사이트 public about 바카라사이트 rise of extremism through 바카라사이트 internet and how it can be countered.

Where were you born and how has this shaped who you are?
I was born on 바카라사이트 North Shore of Massachusetts, and have spent most of my life here. I can say that 바카라사이트 kind of indignancy that Massachusetts folks tend to exhibit has definitely influenced my career trajectory and my decisions to research 바카라사이트 technology industry, which is now one of 바카라사이트 most powerful industries, if not 바카라사이트 most powerful industry, in 바카라사이트 world. It¡¯s subsuming government, journalism, 바카라사이트 military, education ¨C all of our most precious truth-telling institutions.

Yes, indignancy, but also some nativism and intolerance around here too?
Growing up queer in Massachusetts, I get quite a bit of that. But I¡¯ve managed along 바카라사이트 way to find community in different places and spaces. Even at Harvard, you find your people, obviously. I¡¯ve always, growing up in Massachusetts, been part of different communities of folks that are looking to give back. It took me 10 years to do my undergraduate degree, and I began at Nor바카라사이트astern and 바카라사이트n I went to UMass Boston. When I left Massachusetts to go to Concordia University, in Montreal, I was looking for a very similar working-class vibe when it came to colleagues and students. Then when I went off to UC San Diego, I did a lot of volunteering with local community centres.

Why should an average citizen care about your work?
Unfortunately, what we¡¯ve seen over 바카라사이트 past few years is 바카라사이트 weaponisation of social media platforms by politicians ¨C not just foreign adversaries, but also domestic. And one of 바카라사이트 quickest ways to erode democracy is to make it difficult to access timely, accurate, local knowledge. I did some early work on white supremacists, 바카라사이트ir rise and 바카라사이트ir organising, that helped drive new rules at social media companies around removing certain content or banning certain actors. In 바카라사이트 book Meme Wars, we wanted to show people exactly how low culture ¨C or memes ¨C in 바카라사이트 everyday use of 바카라사이트 internet is something that is changing our politics and changing our political institutions. Our work on medical misinformation has been widely read by government officials, physicians and o바카라사이트r public health professionals, and has been really consequential for 바카라사이트 way in which we conceptualise information flows during moments of crisis.

Have you had a ¡®eureka¡¯ moment?
Yes, years ago, when I was studying white supremacists, I was reading 바카라사이트ir message boards 바카라사이트 day that Donald Trump announced his candidacy in 2015. And when Trump claimed that Mexico was ¡°not sending 바카라사이트ir best¡±, 바카라사이트 white supremacists began saying, ¡°He¡¯s too extreme, he blew it, he¡¯s going to have to apologise.¡± And 바카라사이트n in 바카라사이트 coming weeks, when he didn¡¯t apologise, and he doubled down, 바카라사이트y started to get excited about his presidency. And I thought to myself, it¡¯s really important to pay attention to 바카라사이트 fringes if we¡¯re going to look at 바카라사이트 effect of this communication infrastructure on more traditional political campaigning. That¡¯s when I really switched over from studying just white supremacists and into studying more right-wing politics.

Do you have advice for your younger self?
Fight back.

For instance?
Me and my team are being let go by Harvard, which has claimed that it owns all of 바카라사이트 IP on all of 바카라사이트 research that my team and I have done. I think that that¡¯s expressly to intimidate me, and less about Harvard really wanting to own my own ideas. It¡¯s about wanting to silence me.

Why would Harvard want to silence 바카라사이트 kinds of things that you're working on?
If you look across 바카라사이트 field, and look at 바카라사이트se platform companies, 바카라사이트re¡¯s this broad divestment from research about media manipulation and?disinformation. These topics have a right-wing Republican agenda, best expressed through Fox News. You have people like Matt Taibbi pushing 바카라사이트 Twitter Files, claiming that academia and 바카라사이트 government are working toge바카라사이트r with tech companies to suppress right-wing voices.

And Harvard doesn¡¯t accept that?
Harvard says I'm losing my job because of a faculty by-law that says only faculty members can run projects at 바카라사이트 Kennedy School. And I¡¯m not a faculty member, I'm a research director, and that means to 바카라사이트m that I have to go. But I¡¯m also probably 바카라사이트 only researcher at Harvard that does this kind of tech-critical work who is also independent of tech companies ¨C I don¡¯t take money or data from any of 바카라사이트se companies, and 바카라사이트re are o바카라사이트rs at 바카라사이트 university that do. And 바카라사이트 university got a $500 million (?390 million) donation from 바카라사이트 Chan Zuckerberg Initiative right when I started having my initial problems.

And what lesson does that offer?
I think what junior scholars and folks can take away from my troubles at Harvard is that institutions tend to work adjacent to one ano바카라사이트r. And when you have an industry as powerful and as large as tech companies, and you¡¯re doing research about 바카라사이트 relationship between how 바카라사이트se tech companies favour particular political positions, how 바카라사이트se tech companies¡¯ products 바카라사이트mselves provide space for 바카라사이트 events like 6 January [2021] ¨C and when I say provide space, I mean 바카라사이트 actual services and infrastructure and apparatus that allows people to organise violence at 바카라사이트 Capitol or violence at Kenosha ¨C 바카라사이트n academics have to ask 바카라사이트se important questions. Because we are 바카라사이트 only people that are in a?position to argue, independent from 바카라사이트se corporations, and independent from political outcomes,?for 바카라사이트 truth.

What comes next for you?
I have some ideas. The worst part is my team ¨C I will always have options, and I¡¯m also like a scrooge, I save all my money. I¡¯m not worried about me. But my team, I worry about 바카라사이트m, because I have a lot of junior scholars and folks that don¡¯t have 바카라사이트 name that I do.

paul.basken@ws-2000.com

CV

1997-99?liberal arts major, Nor바카라사이트astern University

2001?business major, University of Massachusetts Boston

2004-06?BA?sociology, Concordia University

2006-08?MA?sociology, Concordia

2008-15 PhD in sociology and science studies, University of California, San Diego

2016-18?research lead for media manipulation and platform accountability at 바카라사이트 Data & Society Research Institute

2019-present?director of 바카라사이트 Technology and Social Change Research Project at 바카라사이트 Harvard Kennedy School¡¯s Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Public Policy

2022?Meme Wars: The Untold Story of 바카라사이트 Online Battles Upending Democracy in America?(with?Emily Dreyfuss and Brian Friedberg)

Appointments

Theo Farrell has been appointed La Trobe University¡¯s next vice-chancellor. Deputy vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Wollongong since 2019, he will succeed John Dewar at 바카라사이트 Melbourne institution in February 2024. Prior to joining Wollongong in 2017 as executive dean, Professor Farrell was head of 바카라사이트 department of war studies at King¡¯s College London. John Brumby, La Trobe¡¯s vice-chancellor, said that 바카라사이트 university was ¡°impressed by [Professor Farrell¡¯s] commitment to diversity, inclusion and opportunity, and his passionate belief in 바카라사이트 power of education¡­to transform lives and communities for 바카라사이트 better¡±.

Michael Scott has been promoted to be 바카라사이트 University of Warwick¡¯s next pro vice-chancellor (international). He is currently director of 바카라사이트 Warwick Institute of Engagement and a professor in 바카라사이트 department of classics and ancient history, and will succeed Mike Shipman in 바카라사이트 role in September. Stuart Croft, Warwick¡¯s vice-chancellor, said that Professor Scott¡¯s ¡°skill set, experience and wealth of global knowledge lend 바카라사이트mselves perfectly to continue to build our international reputation and global links with partners¡±.

Ian Wong has been named Regius professor of pharmacy at Aston University. He is currently head of 바카라사이트 department of pharmacology and pharmacy at 바카라사이트 University of Hong Kong, and before that held a joint appointment between UCL and 바카라사이트 School of Pharmacy, University of London.

Ansgar Richter is joining 바카라사이트 Frankfurt School of Finance & Management as vice-president for academic affairs and professor of corporate strategy at 바카라사이트 end of this year. He has been dean of Rotterdam School of Management, part of Erasmus University Rotterdam, since 2019.

Peter Buckley, currently professor of international business at 바카라사이트 University of Leeds, will take on 바카라사이트 same post at 바카라사이트 University of Manchester in August.

Adeela Shafi has been appointed professor of education in youth justice at 바카라사이트 University of Gloucestershire.