The Trumpification of Elon Musk
Around the time Trump was inaugurated in 2017, I said to colleagues in the newsroom where I worked at the time that we shouldn’t cover everything he said or tweeted.…
The Twitter Bubble Let Democrats Defy Political Gravity
There is a wholly self-contained ecosystem of far-right influencers and followers on Twitter and Facebook. We know that it spreads disinformation and prejudice, but less thought is given to the…
The Art of Hitting Disinformation Where It Lives
But beyond documenting and archiving and debunking disinformation, what can be done? How do we respond to this emergent property, an artistic movement born of the digital age? The knottiest…
This Dangerous Meme in US Politics Is Over a Century Old
“This incredible journey we’re on together has only just begun,” former president Donald Trump told a rally in Ohio on September 17. In response, the crowd saluted him with a…
So, You Want Twitter to Stop Destroying Democracy
Politicians themselves, meanwhile, must assign Twitter its proper place in our constellation of online spaces. It is real life, but it is not a scientific poll. It represents a particular…
The Russian Spy in My Econ Class
Earlier this summer, the Dutch General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD) said it had intercepted a Russian military intelligence officer who was posing as Viktor (sometimes Victor) Muller Ferreira, a…
Boycotting Russian Scientists Is a Hollow Victory
“What should we do about our Russian colleagues?” asked the senior scientist in the audience. It’s early summer and 100 degrees in Chicago. I was giving a keynote at Fermi…
How Does Queerness Fit Into the US Census?
How does a data set like the US census deal with people who defy its expectations? How can a data set encompass those its designers never imagined? These questions can’t…
How to Support People in States Where Abortion Is Under Threat
It’s been several weeks since the US Supreme Court wiped out 50 years of established precedent of reproductive rights. The cultural analyses, personal narratives, and investigations that might best be…
‘Clean Slate’ Justice Laws Offer a Second Chance—Only to Some
Clean slate laws are sweeping the country, offering many of the estimated 70 to 100 million people with a criminal record the chance to have their record expunged. The benefits…