Technology doesn’t operate in a vacuum. Neither does our research.

We research the intersection of technology platforms and democratic society. We analyze how social differences shape unequal dynamics in our information systems and prioritize questions of power. And that work produces insights that inform a digital future rooted in equality and justice.

Media and January 6th

"Media and January 6th" features short, provocative, and accessible contributions from a range of diverse scholars, edited by Khadijah Costley White, Daniel Kreiss, Shannon C. McGregor, and Rebekah Tromble.

 

"The images cast across screens across the country on January 6, 2021, laid bare the fragility of American democracy as the steps and halls of the US Capitol were inundated by a violent band of insurrectionists. Fed by blatant lies, political anger, and racial animus, they sought to halt a procedure enshrined in the US Constitution and to overturn a freely and fairly run election. Meanwhile, efforts to obstruct, avoid, and misrepresent the subsequent investigation of the January 6th attack have continued apace.

 

With a relative dearth of work that centers historical and contemporary racial, ethnic, and power dynamics in the context of media, our interdisciplinary field was caught flat-footed, unprepared to respond to those who actively seek to undermine American democracy. This edited volume is a first step toward remedying that situation. Media and January 6th brings together a diverse group of leading scholars to help us more clearly understand the relationship between media and the attempted coup. The volume examines why and how January 6th came to be and the centrality of media to the event. It is organized around three key questions: How should we understand January 6, 2021? What should research look like after January 6, 2021? And how can we prevent another event like this?"

The Latest From CITAP

News

Learn More about Snapshots of #ICA2024>

Snapshots of #ICA2024

July 16, 2024

On June 20th, CITAP and CITAP-affiliated researchers traveled to the Gold Coast, Australia for the start of ICA 2024.

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Learn More about Francesca Tripodi on Prager U>

Francesca Tripodi on Prager U

December 18, 2023

“They provide this nostalgia for a past that never really existed.”

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Learn More about Tressie McMillan Cottom honored with Brandeis’s Gittler Prize on October 27th>

Tressie McMillan Cottom honored with Brandeis’s Gittler Prize on October 27th

November 1, 2023

Tressie also visited classes and engaged with the Brandeis community for 3 days as part of her residency.

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Learn More about CITAP is Hiring!>

CITAP is Hiring!

September 18, 2023

We are seeking 2 Postdoctoral Research Associates to join us at CITAP.

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Publications

Learn More about Children Online Safety Legislation (COSL) – A Primer>

Children Online Safety Legislation (COSL) – A Primer

June 5, 2024

An analysis of the legislation to protect child safety online, driven by moral panic rather than evidence, argues that it is ineffective and harms privacy and free expression.

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Learn More about Preventing Tech-Fueled Political Violence: What online platforms can do to ensure they do not contribute to election-related violence>

Preventing Tech-Fueled Political Violence: What online platforms can do to ensure they do not contribute to election-related violence

May 22, 2024

With extremist militias mobilizing ahead of the 2024 election, platforms must urgently address electoral threats to ensure a peaceful conduct of elections and the holding and transfer of power. 

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Learn More about Patrons of commerce: asymmetrical reciprocity and moral economies of platform power>

Patrons of commerce: asymmetrical reciprocity and moral economies of platform power

May 21, 2024

Aaron Shapiro, Courtlyn Pippert, Jacob Smith & Zari A. Taylor investigate what platforms owe their users and vice versa, using asymmetrical reciprocity to critique platform power and showing through vignettes how users push back against exploitative policies.

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Learn More about Safeguarding the Peaceful Transfer of Power: Pro-Democracy Electoral Frames and Journalist Coverage of Election Deniers During the 2022 U.S. Midterm Elections>

Safeguarding the Peaceful Transfer of Power: Pro-Democracy Electoral Frames and Journalist Coverage of Election Deniers During the 2022 U.S. Midterm Elections

May 7, 2024

Hesoo Jang and Daniel Kreiss find that journalists repeatedly fail to direct public attention to how election denial undermines the legitimacy of the electoral process.

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Events

Learn More about Black Twitter: Talking Back and Transforming Television>

Black Twitter: Talking Back and Transforming Television

Join CITAP for an engaging conversation between Meredith D. Clark and Sherri M. Williams as they discuss their groundbreaking books on the power of Black Twitter in shaping media, activism, and digital culture.

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Learn More about Marie Heřmanová: Experience vs. Expertise>

Marie Heřmanová: Experience vs. Expertise

Join CITAP and Marie Heřmanová as she examines how social media creators balance authenticity and authority in political discourse, influenced by gender dynamics.

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Learn More about Racialized Disinformation: Elections Past, Present, and Future>

Racialized Disinformation: Elections Past, Present, and Future

This panel brings together our principal researchers to discuss the long history of electoral disinformation in the United States and the ways that racialized disinformation is targeted at communities of color to suppress their political power.

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Learn More about Media Coverage of the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election: The View from Germany and the United States>

Media Coverage of the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election: The View from Germany and the United States

Join us for a Fireside Chat, “Media Coverage of the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election: The View from Germany and the United States.”

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