Local Digital Social Networks

And Zachary Liscow, former Chief Economist at the Office of Management and Budget, proposes ample “front-end civic participation” in exchange for reduced back-end litigation. That is, do the democratic work upfront then get on a fast track, rather than use the fast-track to avoid the democratic work and then suffer the blowback.

The constitutional right of the people to communicate with one another, in public squares and in a free press, was formerly understood as a ‘bulwark of liberty’ — that is, as the necessary means through which a people preserved themselves as a self-governing political community.

Instead of firing off salvos on social media, find a local problem you’d like to work with other people to help solve. Like most communities, we need trails cleared, litter picked up, funds raised for cheerleading teams and brass bands and animal shelters. In my community, we have programs where residents help elderly neighbors get to medical appoi... See more

In the absence of professional journalism—in so-called news deserts across the country—critical information systems are left to the algorithmic biases of a few social media giants. Dig further, though, and you’ll find block club newsletters, school newspapers, library workshops, public access broadcasts, grassroots community teach-ins, and barbersh... See more

Brown and Jaźwińska posit that there are some counterforces in the publisher toolkit, including owned-and-operated platforms and cultivating more direct relationships with audiences.

Examples of truth queries include “How do you know this is true?” “Where did you learn this?” and “Do you have an example?” These questions may alert other users to pay more attention to the accuracy of the false information and communicate that the information is not universally accepted. In a series of three studies, we showed participants Tweets... See more