Speaker: A/Prof. Dave Karpf (George Washington University)
Location: Larry Saha Room (HA2175)
It is now well established that digital media has given rise to new forms of political speech. Just as importantly though, the new media environment has also created space for new types of listening. In his new book, Dave Karpf discusses the role that digital listening, measurement, and experimentation play in shaping the contours of "analytic activism." Analytic activism is a specific form of digital-mediated political campaigning. It combines digital listening, a culture of testing, and large-scale, long-term collective action. Karpf argues that these new listening tools produce important tactical and strategic innovations, helping advocacy organizations adapt to the hybrid media environment. But he also cautions that these new tools amount to "listening without conversation," and that they include their own unique biases and limitations. In this public lecture, Karpf will share highlights and key findings from his research on analytic activism.