COSMONAUT

S E R I E S

US Elections

Itay Alon

Disinformation Campaign

In order to win the Trump 2020 election campaign targeted certain voter groups with subversive, dangerous disinformation and suppressed the electoral rights of minority groups. Following the successful strategy of the 2016 campaign they utilised psychometric and political micro-targeting on social media to discredit the other side as well as to spread conspiracy theories and fake news.

Itay Alon

Content Moderation

Twitter’s decision to ban @realDonaldTrump was criticised by Republicans, who saw it as a violation of Trump’s free speech and a decision against the US First Amendment. That has opened a debate on social media platforms’ power in influencing and limiting free speech: what does it mean when a corporation can censor a government official? Who should have the right to decide what we can and can’t say?

Lordicon

Fighting Voter Suppression

FairFight as well as FRRC and other grassroot organisations have had a great impact in the recent US election. They are in part responsible for the historic voter turnout by registering, motivating and supporting thousands of unregistered but also disenfranchised voters. The fight against voter suppression remains crucial also in times with no election in order to have a healthy, diverse and lively democracy.

Kory Larson

Our Series

Twitter Permanently Bans Donald Trump. What Does That Mean For Us?

By Francesca Scapolo • January 10, 2021
The social media platform decision to suspend the President’s @realDonaldTrump account “due to the risk of further incitement of violence” sparked questions on platforms’ role when it comes to free speech misinformation and content moderation.

The Fight Against Voter Suppression

By Yamunna Rao & Johanna Rick • January 9, 2021
How the battle for US democracy continues even after the presidential elections.

Targeting Emotionality: Evidence from the Trump Campaign

By Rohan Dronsfield • January 9, 2021
Analysis of contemporary subversive political campaigning in light of Donald Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign.

Aim & Shoot

By Claire Daniolou • January 9, 2021
Exploring how digital presence is used to detect people’s personal traits & vulnerabilities and how these can potentially be exploited to undermine democracy.

Silicon Valley’s Mea Culpa

By Enzo Floris • December 13, 2020
Rates of social media consumption have skyrocketed amid the global pandemic. Much has been claimed about the pernicious influence of those platforms on politics, democracy, and polarization, but are we aware of the true extent of the peril? Netflix’s “The Social Dilemma” posits that such detrimental effects are no fluke. Rather, they are deliberate features of a wicked system. If at times naive and simplistic, the documentary effectively accomplishes its manifest purpose: to be a chilling wake-up call.

Why Facebook Users Matter in National Elections

By Francesco Vogelezang • August 30, 2020
The 2016 US elections have been dominated by the wide exploitation of social networks. While they have showcased how behavioural political micro-targeting and fake news’ circulation can have a decisive impact, the role of online users has been largely undervalued. Hence, they are mainly seen as the receptors of the online campaigning process. Yet, as this article explains, their potential impact should not be underestimated, especially for the next elections this fall.

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TikTok-ing on the National Security Defence

By Raushan Tara Jaswal • September 21, 2022
Time is running out on the National Security defence adopted by the Government of India for the prolonged ban on Chinese based Mobile Applications.

Challenges and Opportunities of AI in Outer Space

By Linda Jaeck • January 16, 2022
How AI is enabling new frontiers in Mars exploration.

Showdown Down Under?

By Marco Schmidt • August 9, 2021
Regulation is gaining more traction all over the place but it is uncertain if the Australian News Media Bargain Code will become a role model for legislation in other places. There are several weaknesses to the Code and after all, it is not clear if paying publishers for their content will really alter the high levels of market concentration.

Myanmar's Keyboard Warriors

By Theint Theint Thu • August 9, 2021
The perseverance of Myanmar’s youth to fight for freedom is proving to be the key to the country’s democratic future.

Emojis and Digital Communication

By Suzanne Flynn • August 9, 2021
Digital communication has changed rapidly since the onset of the digital age but emojis have only gone from strength to strength since their inception in the late 1990s. This article will cover the impact emojis have had on language and culture. It will conclude with a comparison of hieroglyphics and emojis and what this development tells us about in culture and language in the digital age.

Protecting democratic content and the UK Online Safety Bill

By Lucas Pinho Martins Nacif • June 6, 2021
The idea behind protecting ‘democratic content’ within social media providers is a thought-provoking one and shows how the UK is committed to protecting diversity of political opinion within democratic debate. It may be proven unworkable, though.

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