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Council on Tech and Social Cohesion

@socialcohesiontech.bsky.social
80 followers 172 following 36 posts

We are catalyzing a robust, interconnected field of technology for social cohesion.

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Council on Tech and Social Cohesion @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social · 22/03/2026
Join us for a conversation on how peacebuilding perspectives can inform the regulation and design of digital platforms. 🗓 March 26, 2026 ⏰ 11:00 AM EST | 7:00 PM EAT Register: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
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Civic Health Project @civichealthproject.bsky.social · 05/11/2025
As deepfakes and disinformation threaten public trust, a new generation of civic technologists is using AI for something different: to help us listen, reflect, and connect. Read the Blog: techandsocialcohesion.substack.com/p/heres-how-...
techandsocialcohesion.substack.com
Here's how AI makes online conversations better
Civic technologists are harnessing AI to foster trust and support healthy public discourse.
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Council on Tech and Social Cohesion @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social · 02/10/2025
New evidence shows AI’s promise for peace processes — but without steering, it could drive us toward peril. techandsocialcohesion.substack.com/p/ai-hope-or...
techandsocialcohesion.substack.com
AI: Hope or Hazard for Peace?
New evidence shows AI’s promise for peace processes — but without steering, it could drive us toward peril.
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Council on Tech and Social Cohesion @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social · 19/09/2025
What happens when thousands of Americans from every congressional district share their views on freedom and equality, with the help of an AI? That’s the promise of We the People, a new initiative from Jigsaw and the Napolitan Institute. techandsocialcohesion.substack.com/p/the-ai-lis...
techandsocialcohesion.substack.com
The AI listening to 'We the People'
Jigsaw is deploying Gemini AI to listen to over 2,500 Americans in a historic experiment to make sense of where Americans stand—and what they share.
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Council on Tech and Social Cohesion @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social · 16/09/2025
Trust in chatbots is 30% higher than in elected officials — and 38% of people feel that AI could make better decisions on their behalf than government representatives. techandsocialcohesion.substack.com/p/more-peopl...
techandsocialcohesion.substack.com
More people trust chatbots than elected leaders
What new research reveals about our evolving relationship with AI—and how chatbots are filling the trust gap in the social contract.
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Council on Tech and Social Cohesion @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social · 21/08/2025
Normsy.ai blends human judgment with AI speed—empowering users to counter toxic speech at scale and build healthier civic dialogue online. Hear more in @civichealthproject.bsky.social’s episode of Outrage Overload on the topic: Is There Still Hope for the Internet? 🎧
normsy.ai
Normsy App
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Council on Tech and Social Cohesion @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social · 20/08/2025
Should peacebuilders consider using AI for mediation? Two chatbots—Akord AI in Sudan and Cocorico in the Democratic Republic of Congo—show that customization and ethical guidelines can transform AI into effective peacebuilding tools. techandsocialcohesion.substack.com/p/peace-by-p...
techandsocialcohesion.substack.com
Peace by Prompt
Custom AI chatbots are supporting peacebuilders in Sudan and offering Congolese audiences an antidote to bias.
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Council on Tech and Social Cohesion @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social · 17/08/2025
📣 Can AI finally break the engagement trap? At #TrustCon2025, Integrity Institute’s Jeff Allen saw signs of hope. techandsocialcohesion.substack.com/p/can-ai-bre...
techandsocialcohesion.substack.com
Can AI break the engagement trap?
Integrity Institute Co-Founder Jeff Allen reflects on TrustCon 2025, the evolution of trust and safety, and why regulatory pressure—and transparency—still matter most.
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Council on Tech and Social Cohesion @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social · 13/08/2025
On Nextdoor, crime posts dominate your feed thanks to engagement-driven algorithms. In Vermont, Front Porch Forum updates just once a day—fostering trust and civic engagement instead of fear. www.afterbabel.com/cp/170467486
afterbabel.com
The Algorithm Next Door
How local digital platforms like Nextdoor and Facebook are fraying the fabric of neighborhood trust — and what we can build instead.
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Council on Tech and Social Cohesion @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social · 12/08/2025
Google’s AI Overview puts summaries at the top of search results. Helpful? Maybe. But it also makes AI an unaccountable gatekeeper—shaping what we see, and what we don’t. What’s your take?
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Council on Tech and Social Cohesion @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social · 11/08/2025
The data is in: bridging works. 📊 From SCIM to the Peace Impact Framework, we can measure reduced polarization & stronger trust offline — and now bring those same indicators into tech design. If we can measure it, we can design for it. techandsocialcohesion.substack.com/p/the-scienc...
techandsocialcohesion.substack.com
The Science of Trust
Bridging work delivers measurable results. Now let’s use these metrics and design tech to scale it.
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Council on Tech and Social Cohesion @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social · 22/07/2025
There’s no shortage of ideas to make social media better. But testing them? Still way too hard. We need real support for independent experimentation into what actually improves online behavior. Make it easier to do — and harder to ignore. 🔗 techandsocialcohesion.substack.com/p/testing-be...
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Council on Tech and Social Cohesion @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social · 18/06/2025
What if tech didn’t divide us—but helped rebuild trust? On June 26, the Global EXPO on Tech & Social Cohesion. Demos, policy convos, tools for healthy online spaces, and more. Join in DC, Kathmandu, or online. techandsocialcohesion.substack.com/p/join-us-fo...
techandsocialcohesion.substack.com
Join us for the global EXPO on Technology and Social Cohesion
Practical tools, emerging evidence and global insights will be featured in this HYBRID event on June 26
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Council on Tech and Social Cohesion @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social · 12/06/2025
EXPO 2025: Two Hybrid Events, Global Programming 📅 June 26 | 🌎 Americas | EMEA | Asia Pacific How can tech foster trust, cohesion, and collaboration—instead of fueling division and violence? Join global voices shaping the future of prosocial tech. techandsocialcohesion.org/ctsc-expo
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Council on Tech and Social Cohesion @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social · 11/06/2025
🌍✨ How can we use AI to support—not replace—what makes us human? We’re excited to see events like Human + Tech Week 2025 (June 14–20, San Francisco) leading the conversation around wellness, innovation, and the intersection of human potential with the future of AI. 🔗 Learn more: humantechweek.com
humantechweek.com
HUMAN TECH WEEK 2025 | Home
Join Human Tech Week 2025, the premier event uniting innovators, investors, and thought leaders to explore the latest in human-centric technology.
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Council on Tech and Social Cohesion @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social · 06/06/2025
🚨 We know what we want to stop: disinformation, polarization, exploitation. But naming the harms isn’t enough. New Blueprint for Prosocial Tech Design Governance lays out how we can shift the deeper systems—governance + design—that shape our digital lives. techandsocialcohesion.org/wp-content/u...
techandsocialcohesion.org
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Council on Tech and Social Cohesion @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social · 30/05/2025
Most people online aren’t arguing—they’re watching. Our latest piece explores how vicarious contact—simply watching respectful political dialogue—can reduce polarization. Civility can be contagious. 📖 Read Contagious Civility: techandsocialcohesion.substack.com/p/contagious...
techandsocialcohesion.substack.com
Contagious Civility
Simply WATCHING respectful conversation can depolarize us, new research finds
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Council on Tech and Social Cohesion @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social · 25/05/2025
What if we could simulate peace deals before they’re signed—and see how groups respond? Digital twins, once used to model engines and cities, are now applied to divided societies, giving peacebuilders a powerful way to forecast conflict dynamics. techandsocialcohesion.substack.com/p/will-the-p...
techandsocialcohesion.substack.com
Will the peace deal hold? Ask the digital twins
Digital twins are transforming industries. Now they’re being used to understand—and help resolve—real-world conflicts.
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Council on Tech and Social Cohesion @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social · 06/05/2025
📣 ​Mark your calendars for this upcoming Webinar on TFGBV and Platform Design! Join us for an engaging solutions-based webinar to discuss our latest report, Prevention by Design: Tackling TFGBV at the Source. May 14 11:15 EDT (New York) Registration link: lu.ma/gagkjlbf
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Integrity Institute @integrity-inst.bsky.social · 29/04/2025
Join II, Search for Common Ground, & @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social for a webinar on how platforms can prevent TFGBV. We’ll unpack insights from our report, Prevention by Design, exploring behavioral and design strategies to build safer digital spaces for women. 🗓️ May 14, 2025 🔗 lu.ma/gagkjlbf
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Council on Tech and Social Cohesion @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social · 25/04/2025
🌍 If you're working at the intersection of tech, creativity, and conflict transformation — Build Peace 2025 is worth a serious look. 🌍 This year's theme: "Towards a Pluriverse of Peace." Happening this November near Barcelona.
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Civic Health Project @civichealthproject.bsky.social · 24/04/2025
Americans are spending less time on social media— but when they stay, they want more than noise. 📉 Use is down 🧠 Learning is up 🤝 Real connection is rising The message is clear: Design for trust, or lose it. psychoftech.substack.com/p/social-med...
psychoftech.substack.com
Social Media Experiences Across Nearly 2 Years Since Launching the Social Media Index
With new data through January 2025, we find that social media use is decreasing, bad experiences are mostly holding steady, and positive experiences are increasing on some platforms
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Council on Tech and Social Cohesion @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social · 21/04/2025
“Friends without friction” might sound nice—but at what cost? A new paper by Kim Malfacini asks what happens when AI chatbots always agree with us. Are they helping us connect—or slowly deskilling our ability to handle disagreement? techandsocialcohesion.substack.com/p/friends-wi...
techandsocialcohesion.substack.com
Friends without friction
Companion chatbots may weaken our ability to navigate conflict and difference—unless we make key design choices, says a new report
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Council on Tech and Social Cohesion @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social · 24/03/2025
This isn’t just a moderation issue—it’s a design issue. Our new report with @integrity-inst.bsky.social and Search for Common Ground highlights upstream solutions: nudges, filters, privacy-by-default, and better platform architecture. 👉 techandsocialcohesion.org/prevention-b...
techandsocialcohesion.org
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Council on Tech and Social Cohesion @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social · 24/03/2025
The 016 in Worcester blends local news with social networking, enhancing community engagement and social cohesion. A promising model for strengthening local ties through technology. newpublic.substack.com/p/blurring-b...
newpublic.substack.com
🗞️📱 Blurring boundaries between local news and social media
Learning from The 016, Worcester’s digital journalism experiment
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Integrity Institute @integrity-inst.bsky.social · 18/03/2025
📣 New Report Calls for Proactive Solutions to Tech-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV) We teamed up with @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social on new report advocating for design-focused solutions to TFGBV. Let’s shift the burden off victims and build safer digital spaces. bit.ly/4ixrFo0
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Nancy Groves @nancygroves.bsky.social · 08/03/2025
One solution to mis/disinformation? "Move beyond thinking of platform content moderation policies as 'the solution' and prioritize rethinking design." @noupside.bsky.social in @noemamag.com www.noemamag.com/how-online-m...
noemamag.com
How Online Mobs Act Like Flocks Of Birds | NOEMA
A growing body of research suggests human behavior on social media is strikingly similar to collective behavior in nature.
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Tech Policy Press @techpolicypress.bsky.social · 07/03/2025
New podcast! @justinhendrix.bsky.social spoke to @audreyt.org, @iyerland.bsky.social, and @bgoldberg.bsky.social about the opportunities and risks of deploying AI in online spaces. What design options are there to improve collective dialogue? www.techpolicy.press/promising-op...
techpolicy.press
Promising Opportunities, Distinct Risks: AI and Digital Public Squares | TechPolicy.Press
A conversation with Taiwan Cyber Ambassador Audrey Tang, USC Marshall School Neely Center's Ravi Iyer, and Jigsaw's Beth Goldberg.
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Curious, Confused, Coding Connor @codingconnor.bsky.social · 07/03/2025
Shout it from the rooftops! Algorithms can be better! #holdtechaccountable
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Council on Tech and Social Cohesion @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social · 06/03/2025
Algorithms don’t have to be the way they are. The @knightgtown.bsky.social report proves platforms could build feeds that serve users, not just engagement. Transparency, accountability, and user control can create better algorithms—if we demand them techandsocialcohesion.substack.com/p/yes-we-can...
techandsocialcohesion.substack.com
Yes, we can have better algorithms
A new report from recommender system experts highlights practical alternatives to addictive and engagement-driven feeds
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Council on Tech and Social Cohesion @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social · 04/03/2025
It's FALSE that if we don't like our default feeds, the only other choice is chronological. 'Better Feeds', a new report from @knightgtown.bsky.social points to ways that we can shift engagement-based algorithms to give users more choice and measure for long-term engagement and well-being.
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Council on Tech and Social Cohesion @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social · 04/03/2025
AI chatbots aren’t addictive because people are lazy or lonely—they’re designed to be. Like social media, their engagement-driven model maximizes time spent, emotional entanglement, and dependency—even at the cost of user well-being. #AI #TechEthics techandsocialcohesion.substack.com/cp/158373302
techandsocialcohesion.substack.com
Racing to the Wrong Finish Line
The Human Cost of Unchecked AI Development
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New_ Public @newpublic.org · 03/03/2025
How well are social media platforms serving you? Writer @laurengoode.bsky.social shares the CUE framework Community: Are you connecting? Utility: Is it fulfilling practical needs? Education/Entertainment: Are you learning anything meaningful or enjoying your time there? kottke.org/25/02/is-soc...
Is social media doing you dirty?
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Council on Tech and Social Cohesion @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social · 03/03/2025
AI is reshaping democracy—but will it strengthen or subvert it? This @techpolicypress.bsky.social piece explores the risks of unchecked #AI. We must design tech that fosters trust, problem-solving, and social cohesion.
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New_ Public @newpublic.org · 28/02/2025
@adamserwer.bsky.social writes in @theatlantic.com: “The private companies in control of social-media networks possess an unprecedented ability to manipulate and control the populace, to keep them in a kind of algorithmic cage divorced from reality.”
theatlantic.com
Americans Are Trapped in an Algorithmic Cage
The private companies in control of social-media networks possess an unprecedented ability to manipulate and control the populace.
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Prosocial Design Network @prosocialdesign.bsky.social · 02/03/2025
Integrity Institute read through all those platform DSA filings, so we didn't have to. Great report, with good primers on transparency regulations (from EU, UK and Oz). drive.google.com/file/d/1MJHx...
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Dr. Elinor Carmi @elinorcarmi.bsky.social · 27/02/2025
Great article! "Techno-optimism is more accurately described as 'human pessimism' when it assumes that the quality of our character is easily reducible to code. We can acknowledge AI as a technical achievement without mistaking its narrow abilities for the richer qualities we treasure in each other"
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Council on Tech and Social Cohesion @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social · 26/02/2025
Social media platforms are designed to maximize engagement, often at users’ expense. 72% of teens feel manipulated into spending more time online than they want, and 19% of 13-15 year-olds encounter explicit content weekly. Utah’s Digital Choice Act (HB 418) changes that. 🧵👇
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Council on Tech and Social Cohesion @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social · 25/02/2025
Can social media actually bring us together instead of driving us apart? "Prosocial Media" explores how platforms can be redesigned to foster connection. From boosting workplace productivity to letting users curate their spaces—small shifts could make a big impact. 🔗 time.com/7258238/soci...
time.com
Social Media Fails Many Users. Experts Have an Idea to Fix It
In a new paper, digital activist Audrey Tang and others emphasize the need for context and community over clicks.
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Council on Tech and Social Cohesion @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social · 24/02/2025
Facebook groups help local communities stay connected. Creating a Flourishing Digital Public Space for Your Local Area from @newpublic.substack.com highlights how fostering social trust leads to engaged, supportive communities—like the Santa Fe Bulletin Board, a hub for Santa Feans for over a decade
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Plurality Institute @pluralityinstitute.bsky.social · 24/02/2025
Plurality Institute’s Rose Bloomin and Jeff Fossett will present Bridging Bot: Large Language Models for De-Escalation & Bridging, examining how AI can facilitate conflict resolution. February 27th | 6:30 pm PT / 9:30 pm ET lu.ma/2aaufseh?tk=...
lu.ma
LLMs & Public Discourse: Livestream · Luma
About the event: Please join us for a showcase on LLMs and Public Discourse, co-hosted by Plurality Institute and The Council on Technology and Social Cohesion…
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Council on Tech and Social Cohesion @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social · 24/02/2025
New research shows a paradox: many feel harmed by social media—and would pay $24 to wipe out TikTok and $6 for Instagram. Is addictive design trapping us? Read more. techandsocialcohesion.substack.com/p/ill-pay-mo...
techandsocialcohesion.substack.com
"I'll pay money to get rid of social media"
American college students say they’d prefer social media didn’t exist, according to new research by the National Bureau of Economic Research
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Plurality Institute @pluralityinstitute.bsky.social · 18/02/2025
Our LLMs and Public Discourse event, co-hosted by The Council on Technology and Social Cohesion, will be livestreamed. Join us Thursday, February 27th @ 6:30pm PT / 9:30pm ET: lu.ma/2aaufseh?tk=...
lu.ma
LLMs & Public Discourse: Livestream · Luma
About the event: Please join us for a showcase on LLMs and Public Discourse, co-hosted by Plurality Institute and The Council on Technology and Social…
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Council on Tech and Social Cohesion @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social · 14/02/2025
The Paris AI Summit exposed a key fault line: Speed vs. safety. Should #AI safeguards be industry-led or state-driven? The future of AI is political, shaping power, trust, and cohesion. The choices made now will define what comes next. techandsocialcohesion.substack.com/p/ai-war-and...?
techandsocialcohesion.substack.com
AI, war and peace, post Paris
The AI Action Summit revealed how AI is pulled into war-making AND enabling wider participation in its design and governance, reflects Lena Slachmuijlder
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Council on Tech and Social Cohesion @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social · 08/02/2025
Neutral AI is a myth. In conflict settings, peacebuilders use multi-partiality—engaging perspectives fairly without treating them as morally equal. AI couldfollow the same model, not aiming for false neutrality but fostering constructive engagement. techandsocialcohesion.substack.com/p/the-ai-cha...
techandsocialcohesion.substack.com
The AI changed my mind. Should it?
Training AI to fairly reflect diverse views might help us navigate conflict better than seeking AI 'neutrality'
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