Tuesday, July 31 at 2:00 pm
Social Media Is Good For Democracy
By connecting people across the world for free, platforms like Twitter and Facebook set the stage for a promising digital revolution, providing tools that helped foster global friendships, break down long-standing barriers that kept people and ideas from being heard, and served as the ultimate democratizing force for information. Now, lawmakers in the U.S. and beyond are reeling with questions of how to prevent the spread of digital political propaganda and protect citizens’ personal privacy online. Critics argue that rather than uniting and informing, social media deepens social and political divisions and erodes trust in the democratic process. Will the power of social media yet be harnessed and used as an unprecedented force for good in the world? Or do systemic platform flaws pose an irreversible threat to the world’s democratic institutions?
The Debaters:
Jeff Jarvis
Director, Tow-Knight Center for Entrepreneurial Journalism
Jeff Jarvis is a national leader in the development of online news, blogging, and the investigation of new business models for news. He is director of the Tow-Knight Center for Entrepreneurial Journalism at the City University of New York and serves as an executive committee member for the News Integrity Initiative. Funded in part by Facebook and Mozilla, the initiative supports news literacy and journalistic efforts around the world. Jarvis is also the author of several books, including “Geeks Bearing Gifts” and “What Would Google Do?” He blogs about media and news at Buzzmachine.com and cohosts the podcast This Week in Google.
Emily Parker
Digital Diplomacy Adviser & Former State Department Official
Emily Parker is the author of “Now I Know Who My Comrades Are: Voices From the Internet Underground,” which tells the stories of internet activists in China, Cuba, and Russia. Parker was chief strategy officer at Parlio, a Silicon Valley start-up that aimed to bring civility to social media. Previously she was a member of the policy planning staff at the U.S. Department of State, where she advised on internet freedom. Parker is a former staff writer and editor at the Wall Street Journal and a former editor at the New York Times. She is currently the co-founder of Longhash, a global blockchain start-up.
Franklin Foer
Staff Writer, The Atlantic
Franklin Foer is a staff writer at The Atlantic and the former editor of The New Republic. He is the author of “World Without Mind: The Existential Threat of Big Tech,” which explores the influence of Amazon, Facebook, Apple, and Google on modern life, and was named one of the best books of the year by the New York Times.
Roger McNamee
Investor & Venture Capitalist
Roger McNamee has spent 35 years investing in the technology industry. He is a co-founder of three firms: Integral Capital Partners, Silver Lake Partners, and Elevation Partners. An early investor in Facebook, he served as a mentor to Mark Zuckerberg from 2006 to 2009. He is the author of “The New Normal,” a regular commentator on CNBC and MSNBC, and a touring musician. He holds four patents related to broadcasting live video to cell phones.
To listen to the audio of “Social Media Is Good For Democracy” on Intelligence Squared online, please click HERE.