We explore why we need technology that drives more constructive online conversations, and the tools and people leading the way.

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How to make online discourse more civil

From an early age, Deb Roy saw how false stereotypes could hurt people. He grew up in Canada in an immigrant family from India, and then became a first-generation immigrant in the US.

“I experienced firsthand how easy it is to fall prey to shallow and untrue stereotypes of others,” he said. “I saw schoolmates and their parents do it to people like my family, and I saw my extended family do it to people like my Canadian friends.”

Years later, Roy co-founded Bluefin Labs ([link removed] ) , a media analytics company that analyzed the interactions between television and social media at scale. Bluefin was acquired by Twitter in 2013, and Roy served as Twitter’s Chief Media Scientist from 2013-2017.

Over time, he began to understand how social media could reinforce and amplify the same false stereotypes that had been hurtful as a child.

This was an ah-ha moment for Roy. The work was personal, and he committed to building technology that didn’t reinforce stereotypes and exacerbate polarization but elevated underheard voices.

Roy has been a visiting professor at Harvard Law School, and served as Executive Director of the MIT Media Lab ([link removed] ) from 2019-2021. Today, Roy leads MIT’s Center for Constructive Communication ([link removed] ) (CCC) and is an advisor to Project Liberty’s DSNP ([link removed] ) .

This week, we’re profiling Roy’s work at the CCC and a new tech company Cortico ([link removed] ) he co-founded.

// The problem with online discourse

The designs and algorithms shaping online discourse on digital platforms lead to numerous problems.

- Research by Roy and others at MIT found that false news stories on Twitter are 70% more likely to be retweeted ([link removed] ) than true stories.
- Research from NYU’s Stern School of Business ([link removed] ) found that while platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter are not the root causes of political polarization, they exacerbate it.
- Research in the journal Nature Human Behavior ([link removed] ) suggested that when algorithms amplify more extreme political views, people think their political in-group and out-group are more sharply divided than they actually are.
- One study ([link removed] ) found that people who use moral and emotional outrage in their online posting are more effective at getting people to spread misinformation.

It’s not only what’s being amplified; it’s what’s being silenced. “These digital spaces relegate the quieter, mitigating voices to the margins,” Roy said.

// The decline in trust in institutions

Pew Research, which has tracked American views of government since the 1950s, found that public trust in national institutions reached a record low in 2023 ([link removed] ) . Many factors have contributed to this decline ([link removed] ) , including inequality, polarization, and a loss of faith in political processes ([link removed] ) .

Roy sees a link between the concerning state of online discourse and the decline in trust in institutions. “With the majority of digital platforms dominated by the most extreme, vocal minority, everyday people feel like their voices can’t reach the institutions that serve them,” he said.

“When their concerns and needs vanish in the noise, trust in those institutions deteriorates and undermines the legitimacy of decisions made, exacerbating societal divides and further alienating those who feel underheard.”

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“Hearing the humanity of others is essential for democracy to function.”

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// New approaches, new tools

The Center for Constructive Communication designs tools, methods, and systems to connect rather than divide society. The CCC runs courses, advances research, and engages students in small-group dialogues across MIT’s campus. The Center is experimenting with integrating Project Liberty’s DSNP into Odessa ([link removed] ) , a prototype of a new social network app.

Cortico ([link removed] ) , a nonprofit social technology company, is closely affiliated with the CCC and its mission is to bring underheard voices to the center of a healthier public dialogue. Co-founded by Roy in 2016, Cortico combines proven practices of human dialogue and listening with AI analytics to scale meaningful, inclusive dialogues.

Cortico’s conversation platform ([link removed] ) empowers individuals and communities to facilitate, analyze, and share small group conversations and create more diverse and representative community listening, leading to greater trust and transparency.

In contrast to the loudest or most polarizing voices dominating, Cortico uses AI to identify key themes and insights, while amplifying traditionally unheard voices. It’s technology includes three elements:

- Capturing experiences through community listening.
- Conducting qualitative analysis and sense-making.
- Generating actionable insights that build trust through transparency.

// Powerful results

Cortico has partnered with over 160 community organizations, civic leaders, policymakers, researchers, and organizations. It’s also worked with municipalities across the country to help manage their community engagement processes and build trust and buy-in at the local level.

- It was used to incorporate community voices into the selection of a new police chief ([link removed] ) in Madison, Wisconsin.
- The New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene used Cortico to understand the impact of COVID ([link removed] ) within underserved populations.
- Global We, the Museum of the United Nations, used Cortico to gather stories and identify themes ([link removed] ) from communities around the world concerned about climate change.

// Rooted in timeless principles

For the techno-optimist, it’s tempting to believe that every problem can be solved by technology. Tweak the algorithm. Train the LLM on different data sets. Build a better tech alternative. But it’s a mistake to believe technology is a panacea.

The principles at the heart of the CCC and Cortico are not built on the latest advancements in artificial intelligence. Instead, they’re rooted in timeless wisdom drawn from thousands of years of human connection, trusted dialogue, deep listening, and community organizing.

// An audacious vision

The north star of the CCC and Cortico is for inclusive, constructive conversations not to be the exception in online spaces, but to become the new norm.

On one hand, it is a simple mission: enable healthier online conversations in the digital age to become accessible for everyone.

On the other hand, it’s a radical one: create a renaissance in constructive dialogue that slowly gains momentum to the point where it restores the trust we’ve lost in institutions.

For Roy, that mission is personal. There is no work more important than strengthening one of the most fundamental elements of the human species: the ability to connect with each other.

“Hearing the humanity of others is essential for democracy to function,” he said.

Project Liberty news

// Press for People's Bid for TikTok

Frank McCourt joined Boston 25 to discuss the People’s Bid for TikTok. Watch here ([link removed] ) .

Other notable headlines

// 🏛 The latest comprehensive US privacy bill is doomed, according to an article in WIRED ([link removed] ) . The American Privacy Rights Act was pulled from a key congressional hearing—and appears unlikely to receive a full vote.

// 🏫 New York City is moving to ban phones from school. An article in NPR ([link removed] ?) asked, will it work?

// 🤔 If generative AI can’t cite its sources, how will OpenAI keep its promise to media companies? An article in The Atlantic ([link removed] ) explored the implications.

// 🤳 A survey by YouTube found that 65% of younger internet users consider themselves to be video content creators, according to an article in The Washington Post ([link removed] ) .

// ✊ An article in Fast Company ([link removed] ) reported on a group of AI dataset licensing companies who built an alliance to promote ethical data sourcing.

// 📓 At least 10% of research may already be co-authored by AI. An article in The Economist ([link removed] ) explored the upside of AI and research.

// 📱 A podcast by The Washington Post ([link removed] ) discussed how bullying shaped the US Surgeon General's fight against social media.

// 🚺 Online violence against women is soaring, a new report finds. Worldwide, 38% of women reported personal experiences with online violence, according to an article in Fast Company ([link removed] ) .

Partner news & opportunities

// PolicyLink’s Equity Summit

August 26-28 | Atlanta, GA

Last week, PolicyLink ([link removed] ) opened registration for their annual Equity Summit from August 26-28, in Atlanta, GA. This year’s Summit, A Revolution of the Soul, marks a pivotal moment in their journey as they honor the past and shape the future. Register here ([link removed] ) .

// Reboot24 conference in San Francisco

September 4-5 | San Francisco, CA

The Foundation for American Innovation ([link removed] ) is hosting their flagship conference Reboot24: The New Reality ([link removed] ) in San Francisco in September. It will feature a diverse array of speakers from tech, civil society, media, and government. Get your early-bird tickets ([link removed] ) .

// Introducing the Applied Social Media Lab’s principal engineers

Berkman Klein Center's Applied Social Media Lab ([link removed] ) recently welcomed three Principal Engineers to design the technology behind their mission to reimagine, rebuild, and reboot social media to serve the public good. Learn about them here ([link removed] ) .

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