Mastodawn

iDPI Jul 30, 2025

Professor Alondra Nelson, Biden's former head of science and technology policy and one of the most brilliant sociologists today, joins Reimagining for what is one of our best ever episodes.

AI, race and medicine, Trumps' research cuts, and so much more.

https://publicinfrastructure.org/podcast/117-alondra-nelson/

117. Alondra Nelson, Biden's Head of Science and Technology Policy, talks AI, Trump's research funding cuts, and how memes replaced Happy Days - Initiative for Digital Public Infrastructure at UMass Amherst

Alondra Nelson is arguably the most important sociologist of science in America. She isn’t just a brilliant researcher of how race and racism has shaped public health in America, nor just a thoughtful, savvy tech policy maker. She is also someone with a gift for communicating research and ideas on these huge, important matters in […]

Initiative for Digital Public Infrastructure at UMass Amherst

iDPI Jun 25, 2025

Between DOGE and surveillance creep, US citizens might not have a lot of trust in how governments use technology.

This week, we're joined by Eric Gordon, who tells us about his new attempts to use technology to empower citizens and build trust in democracy.

https://publicinfrastructure.org/podcast/116-eric-gordon/

116. How should governments use technology? To build trust, says Eric Gordon - Initiative for Digital Public Infrastructure at UMass Amherst

Eric Gordon has spent his career as an social scientists trying to understand how city governments can use technology to better engage their citizens. But he’s learned that technology doesn’t matter if governments aren’t willing to listen and citizens don’t feel listened to. Add to surveillance technology to the mix, and technology doesn’t seem to […]

Initiative for Digital Public Infrastructure at UMass Amherst

iDPI May 15, 2025

Dan Saltman's Redact tool lets you delete data from several social media platforms. So why are there so few other tools like it out there?

This week on Reimagining, we talk about the legal, technical, and market obstacles for middleware.

https://publicinfrastructure.org/podcast/113-dan-saltman/

113. Deleting Everything with Dan Saltman - Initiative for Digital Public Infrastructure at UMass Amherst

Dan Saltman is the founder of Redact, one of the very few tools that lets you delete data across many of your social media accounts. So why are there so few projects that put users in control of their data, like Dan’s? This week on Reimagining, we talk about the legal, technical, and market obstacles […]

Initiative for Digital Public Infrastructure at UMass Amherst

iDPI Apr 30, 2025

How does the Fediverse run? Who uses it? Why?

How could *you* run your own Fediverse community?

Erin Kissane (@kissane) dives deep into her massive study of governance in the Fediverse in part 2 of her interview on Reimagining the Internet.

https://publicinfrastructure.org/podcast/112-erin-kissane-pt-2/

112. Governing the Fediverse: Erin Kissane talks her groundbreaking study into how Mastodon is run (Part 2) - Initiative for Digital Public Infrastructure at UMass Amherst

Part two of our interview with Erin Kissane is a deep dive into her work on the Fediverse. Why do people use it, how do they govern, and how can you, dear listener, get your own healthy Fediverse community going? Plus Erin talks about Blue Sky a lot. Erin Kissane runs wreckage/salvage, helmed the COVID […]

Initiative for Digital Public Infrastructure at UMass Amherst

iDPI Apr 21, 2025

virginia partridge Mar 28, 2025

Join me and music loving pals from @iDPI_UMass on freq.social!!!! When I remember, I post my weekly musical obsession at https://www.freq.social/user/ginic. This week's flavor is some sweet disco from Soviet era Central Asia. Check it out!

Welcome to Freq! | Freq

A place to find music with friends.

iDPI Apr 21, 2025

Meta in Myanmar: Erin Kissane (@kissane) talks on Reimagining about Facebook's ICC-worthy negligence when its platform was used to stoke civil war, ethnic cleansing, and other human rights violations.

https://publicinfrastructure.org/podcast/111-erin-kissane-pt-1/

111. How Facebook Stoked Civil War in Myanmar, with Erin Kissane - Initiative for Digital Public Infrastructure at UMass Amherst

In part one of our interview with researcher, designer and, in her own words, “ancient Internet person” Erin Kissane, we look at what happens when a platform swallows a whole society’s media landscape but abdicates all responsibility to the people using it. In this case, we’re talking about Myanmar but it’s understandable if your mind […]

Initiative for Digital Public Infrastructure at UMass Amherst

iDPI Apr 2, 2025

Is there hope for democracy in a social media-driven world? @ntnsndr sees it every day.

https://publicinfrastructure.org/podcast/110-nathan-schneider-governable-spaces/

110. Is there hope for democracy in a social media-driven world? Nathan Schneider sees it every day. - Initiative for Digital Public Infrastructure at UMass Amherst

Nathan Schneider has spent roughly 15 years as a journalist and academic trying to understand democracy in the 21st century through Occupy Wall Street, cooperatives, the blockchain, and currently, federated social media. This week on Reimagining, Nathan explains how poor democracy on major social media platforms has eroded our actual democratic governance, and how practicing […]

Initiative for Digital Public Infrastructure at UMass Amherst

iDPI Mar 20, 2025

What the hell is going on with social media and the First Amendment? And the TikTok ban? And the courts? And... well... the constitutional order?

This week on Reimagining the Internet, the brilliant Evelyn Douek (@evelyndouek) helps us understand at least some of that really well.

https://publicinfrastructure.org/podcast/109-evelyn-douek-please-tell-us-what-is-going-on-with-the-first-amendment-and-social-media/

109. Evelyn Douek, please tell us what is going on with the First Amendment and social media - Initiative for Digital Public Infrastructure at UMass Amherst

The TikTok ban decision passed down by the Supreme Court late last year is a clear violation of First Amendment precedent, but President Trump’s refusal to enact it as law is a constitutional crisis in the making. We brought Stanford Law professor, rising First Amendment star scholar, and Moderated Content host Evelyn Douek on the […]

Initiative for Digital Public Infrastructure at UMass Amherst

iDPI Mar 11, 2025

Our research has been featured in the BBC! The study explores YouTube’s vast, largely unseen ecosystem—videos that exist outside the algorithm’s recommendations, where ordinary users document their lives without the pressures of virality.

This work is part of our broader efforts to study how digital platforms function as public infrastructure, shaping online expression, community, and power. Read here: https://tinyurl.com/mr23sb6z

@antisomniac @ethanz @zevin

The hidden world beneath the shadows of YouTube's algorithm

There's a secret side of YouTube, just beyond the guiding hand of the algorithm – and it’s nothing like what you know.

BBC

iDPI Mar 11, 2025

Ryan McGrady Mar 8, 2025

Thomas Germain at @BBCNews has a great article on the weird, banal, illuminating depths of YouTube (and our work at @iDPI_UMass ! ) https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250306-inside-youtubes-hidden-world-of-forgotten-videos

The hidden world beneath the shadows of YouTube's algorithm

There's a secret side of YouTube, just beyond the guiding hand of the algorithm – and it’s nothing like what you know.

BBC