Battling Trolls, Fears, and Other Things that Make Us Not Want to Talk about Immigration

Step/Flickr CC by 2.0
Step/Flickr CC by 2.0

I’ll be at Yale University on November 11 to give a talk and discussion in American Studies.

It’s been two years since I’ve joined Public Radio International to build digital content and find ways to use social media to make news better. On a macro-level, I’ve grown a large network of people who use Twitter and Facebook to do amazing things. There are people using the medium to share stories about their lives in intensely personal and engaging ways. On a day-to-day level, though, this job has also exposed me to enough hate speech to last a lifetime.

What makes the Internet a space for critical thinking and real debate? How can social networks both isolate and broaden horizons? And what role can (and should) scholars and journalists play in this new media economy? At Yale, I’ll make the case for engaging with trolls on the Internet. If you have any insights or stories about your experience I’d love to hear it.