CISI INVESTIGATIONS WORKSHOP

The Critical Internet Studies Institute (CISI) is developing and testing a unique expert curriculum to ensure that technologists who are interested in building, and advocating for, a public interest internet can more capably analyze technology as a political tool. We source these insights directly from practice.


In August 2024, Critical Internet Studies Institute and The Chicago Center for Contemporary Theory  (3CT) at the University of Chicago co-hosted the first Investigations Workshop for journalists, researchers, and advocates for civil rights. The day featured remarks by Professor Joe Masco, University of Chicago Professor of Anthropology and Social Sciences at 3CT; knowledge and technical capacity-building trainings led by Craig Silverman from ProPublica (“Investigating Political Advertising Online”) and Jane Lytvynenko (“Investigating Telegram”); a civil society panel on technology and human rights featuring Belle Torek (Senior AI & Tech Fellow at Human Rights Campaign), Jenni Olson, (Program Director for Social Media Safety Program at GLAAD), and Claire Atkin (Co-founder, Check My Ads), as well as a framing new talk by CISI Founder Joan Donovan (on “Making Sense of Political Violence and Networked Incitement”). This format will be serialized at the University of Chicago and adapted for new learning partners across the country.


Given that innovations in social media have been unable to address the harms caused by the strategic use of disinformation, new theories and methods are needed to study how culture and politics are shaped by the use and abuse of emerging technology. CISI's workshops combine technical training with relevant and actionable findings from the frontlines of cross-sector, cross-disciplinary research and advocacy. 


Interested in hosting a CISI Investigations Workshop? Reach out here: info@publicinterestinter.net