High Stakes Culture

The digital is cultural and it has gotten ugly. The tone of online discourse is increasingly one of complaining, mistrust, and disapproval. The seemingly innocent "like" can unleash a torrent of attention-grabbing incivility. Platforms give trolls undue influence with the effect of normalizing emotional responses and off-topic discussions. What do we do?

Please join us for a conversation about what humanists can contribute to a reimagining of digital platforms. What do we know about how today's polarizing discourse has evolved? What can we learn from previous times in history where discourse was thought to be degenerating? How can the humanities help us form thoughtful communities of diverse opinions?

Come talk to Kamilah Taylor and Daniel Burke, co-founders of Swaay, a start-up dedicated to rebuilding digital platforms to encourage thoughtful exchange; Knight-Wallace Fellow Rachel Rohr; and Megan Ankerson, communication studies, about their work and the challenges they are encountering. Angela Dillard, Afroamerican and African studies and Residential College, will moderate.