Sifting Fact from Fiction: The Role of Social Media in Conflict
This Blogs & Bullets meeting brought together the companies that sift through and sell this data with the activists that create it and the policy-makers who use it. The event looked at the cutting-edge of technologies for analysis with experts from around the world in an effort to expand our ability to harness these new platforms for conflict management and peacebuilding.
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From the war in Libya to the elections in Nigeria, speculation abounds about the power of new media for social change – spawning a cottage industry of “expert” analysis of the data from social networks, which then influences government policy and public perceptions.
This Blogs & Bullets meeting brought together the companies and experts who sift through the data with activists that create it and policy-makers who use it. The event looked at the cutting-edge of research technologies and predictive analytics in an effort to expand our ability to harness these new platforms for conflict management and peacebuilding. This event was co-hosted by USIP and George Washington University.
Explore Further
- USIP Conference Assesses Social Media’s Role in Conflict
News Feature by Thomas Omestad - Social Media in the Middle East
On the Issues by Sheldon Himelfarb - Center of Innovation: Science, Technology & Peacebuilding
- Blogs & Bullets initiative
Partners
- George Washington University
Online Partners
- TechChange
- Georgetown University's Democracy & Society Blog
Image courtesy: Bill Fitz-Patrick
9:00 - 9:15: Opening Remarks
- Sheldon Himelfarb, USIP
9:15 - 9:45: Blogs and Bullets II
- Sean Aday, Henry Farrell, Marc Lynch, and John Sides (George Washington University)
- Brian Eoff, Bit.Ly
- Deen Freelon, American University
9:45 - 11:00: New Trends in Data Mining and Analysis
- Cosma Shalizi, Carnegie Mellon University, moderator
- Rohini Srihari, University of Buffalo, Janya Inc.
- Fadl al-Tarzi, News Group, Dubai
- Bruce Etling, Berkman Center
- John Kelly, Morningside Analytics
11:00 - 11:15 Break
11:15 - 12:00: Digital Activism and Political Change: Practitioners
- Sheldon Himelfarb, USIP, moderator
- Sultan al-Qassemi, @sultanalqassemi
- Andy Carvin, NPR
- Mary Joyce, Meta Activism Project
12:00 - 1:00: New Media’s Role in Peace, Protest, and Political Upheaval
- Sheldon Himelfarb, USIP, moderator
- Marc Lynch, George Washington University
- Clay Shirky, New York University
- Alec Ross, U.S. State Department
- Jillian York, International Freedom of Expression