We now inhabit a digital world. Social media has changed and challenged some of our most basic understandings of truth, faith, and even the idea of a public square. In The Digital Public Square, editor Jason Thacker has chosen top Christian voices to help the church navigate the issues of censorship, conspiracy theories, sexual ethics, hate speech, religious freedom, and tribalism. In this unique work, David French, Patricia Shaw, and many others cast a distinctly Christian vision of a digital public theology to promote the common good throughout society.

Bringing together leading scholars from media studies and digital sociology, this edited volume provides a comprehensive introduction to digital media metaphors, unpacking their power and limitations. Digital technologies have reshaped our way of life. To grasp their dynamics and implications, people often rely on metaphors to provide a shared frame of reference. Scholars, journalists, tech companies, and policymakers alike speak of digital clouds, bubbles, frontiers, platforms, trolls, and rabbit holes. Some of these metaphors distort the workings of the digital realm and neglect key consequences. This collection, structured in three parts, explores metaphors across digital infrastructures, content, and users. Within these parts, each chapter examines a specific metaphor that has become near-ubiquitous in public debate. Doing so, the book engages not only with the technological, but also the social, political, and environmental implications of digital technologies and relations. This unique collection will interest students and scholars of digital media and the broader fields of media and communication studies, sociology, and science and technology studies.

A powerful debunking of First Amendment orthodoxy that critiques "reckless speech," which endangers vulnerable groups, and elevates "fearless speech," which seeks to advance equality and democracy. Freedom of speech has never been more important—or more controversial. From debates about what's permissible on social media, to the politics of campus speakers and corporate advertisements, the First Amendment is incessantly in the news and constantly being held up as the fundamental principle of American democracy. Yet, in reality, it has contributed more to eroding our democracy than supporting it. In Fearless Speech, Dr. Mary Anne Franks emphasizes the distinction between what speech a democratic society should protect and what speech a democratic society should promote. While the First Amendment in theory is politically neutral, in practice it has been legally deployed most visibly and effectively to promote powerful antidemocratic interests: misogyny, racism, religious zealotry, and corporate self-interest, in other words, reckless speech. Instead, Franks argues, we need to focus on fearless speech—speakers who have risked their safety, their reputations, and in some cases their lives, to call out injustice and hold the powerful accountable. Whether it be civil rights leaders, the women of the #MeToo movement, or pro-choice advocates, Franks shows us how their cases and their voices can allow us to promote a more democratic version of free speech. Told through an accessible narrative and ending with a call for change that urges us to reevaluate the legal precedents and uses of the First Amendment, Fearless Speech is a revelatory new argument that urges us to reimagine what our society could look like.

How to put democracy at the heart of AI governance Artificial intelligence and machine learning are reshaping our world. Police forces use them to decide where to send police officers, judges to decide whom to release on bail, welfare agencies to decide which children are at risk of abuse, and Facebook and Google to rank content and distribute ads. In these spheres, and many others, powerful prediction tools are changing how decisions are made, narrowing opportunities for the exercise of judgment, empathy, and creativity. In Algorithms for the People, Josh Simons flips the narrative about how we govern these technologies. Instead of examining the impact of technology on democracy, he explores how to put democracy at the heart of AI governance. Drawing on his experience as a research fellow at Harvard University, a visiting research scientist on Facebook’s Responsible AI team, and a policy advisor to the UK’s Labour Party, Simons gets under the hood of predictive technologies, offering an accessible account of how they work, why they matter, and how to regulate the institutions that build and use them. He argues that prediction is political: human choices about how to design and use predictive tools shape their effects. Approaching predictive technologies through the lens of political theory casts new light on how democracies should govern political choices made outside the sphere of representative politics. Showing the connection between technology regulation and democratic reform, Simons argues that we must go beyond conventional theorizing of AI ethics to wrestle with fundamental moral and political questions about how the governance of technology can support the flourishing of democracy.

Government and governance will be very different in the future than anticipated by the literature in the field.

Step into "Wired Humanity," the profound exploration of our ever-evolving digital world—a landscape where pixels meet personhood and virtual realities intertwine with the tangible. This compelling eBook delves into the heart of what it means to live, work, and exist in an age where technology goes beyond being a tool; it becomes an extension of ourselves. There is no sphere untouched by the digital revolution. "Wired Humanity" begins with the Digital Identity Paradigm, unraveling the intricate ways in which our identities morph within cyberspace. How do our virtual personas impact the real world, and what does it mean to fragment our sense of self across multiple platforms? As we navigate the complex web of online existence, the substance of who we are shifts in mysterious—and sometimes alarming—ways. Through a tapestry of thought-provoking chapters, the book guides readers along the razor-thin line between sharing and secrecy in our Data-Driven Selfhood. It offers a rich examination of social media’s crucible, where we curate ourselves amidst echo chambers and digital pressures, and ventures into virtual worlds where gaming avatars become vessels for identity exploration and community building. But what of our physical bodies in this augmented age? Venturing into the realms of wearables and augmented reality, "Wired Humanity" probes the ethical quandaries of an increasingly cyborgian existence. As the boundaries blur further, the book scrutinizes the transformation of privacy, the balance of power in a world of pervasive surveillance, and the right to digital anonymity. The narrative also spotlights Artificial Intelligence—not merely as a tool but as a mirror, reflecting and sometimes distorting our sense of self. As technology redefines the workforce, reshapes education, and reconstructs the financial landscapes, "Wired Humanity" asks pressing questions Who are we amidst the digits and data? Do our digital livelihoods liberate or ensnare us? Remarkably timely, this eBook delves into the heart of digital citizenship and E-democracy, assessing the rippling impact of connectedness on our political and personal identities. It traverses the ethical terrain of bioinformatics, the convoluted reality of digital relationships, and the frontlines of the battle against propaganda and disinformation. "Wired Humanity" is not just a book; it's a roadmap for navigating the convergence of technology and human experience. Are we prepared for the singularity, merging with machines, or shall we seek solace in digital detox? With precise analysis and eye-opening insights, this work lays bare the emerging contours of a future where humanity is interwoven with the codes it has created. Prepare to be challenged, enlightened, and forever changed as you turn each virtual page and ponder the path ahead for our wired existence.

""Freedom of Speech: The Cornerstone of Democracy in a Rapidly Changing World"" examines the crucial role of free expression in modern society, exploring its historical evolution, current challenges, and future implications. This thought-provoking book delves into the complex interplay between freedom of speech and the digital age, addressing issues such as misinformation, hate speech, and the influence of social media platforms on public discourse. The book traces the development of free speech from ancient Greece to present-day landmark Supreme Court cases, providing essential context for understanding its enduring importance. It argues that while freedom of speech remains fundamental to democracy, its interpretation must evolve to address contemporary challenges. By examining the topic through legal, sociological, and technological lenses, the book offers a comprehensive view of free speech in the modern world. What sets this work apart is its nuanced approach to a often polarizing subject, seeking a balance between preserving free expression and addressing concerns about its misuse. Through real-world examples, case studies, and interviews with experts, the book offers valuable insights for policymakers, legal professionals, and concerned citizens alike. It equips readers with the knowledge to engage meaningfully in ongoing debates about the future of free speech in our rapidly changing society.

This book outlines digital discipleship principles for building an online community and provides practical instruction for how to do it no matter how big or small a local church may be. There are more than 2.3 billion professing Christians in the world and more and more new churches launching globally, yet statistics show that in-person church attendance is declining or plateauing in every nation. Although social technology has been around for more than two decades, church leaders have long bristled at the idea of church online, ranking it as the last concern on their minds in Barna's 2020 state of the church report published February 3, 2020. And then, three weeks later, COVID-19 closed the doors of every church on earth and suddenly forced them entirely online. Nona Jones, a globally acclaimed thought leader on leveraging technology for ministry, had been leading a movement and sounding the alarm for several years to make digital discipleship a central part of every church’s ministry approach. In From Social Media to Social Ministry, she outlines her digital discipleship principles and provides practical instruction for how to do it no matter how big or small a local church may be. There are plenty of books to help churches build a social media strategy, but this is the first book of its kind that goes beyond digital marketing to digital ministry. Readers will leave this book with: Clarity on what discipleship truly is The data that underscores the urgency for digital discipleship Understanding of the resources required to do it well A step-by-step guide on how to implement digital discipleship into ministry plans Knowledge of the differences among and purposes of the most popular social platforms, as well as the tools best positioned for digital ministry

Difference, Dialogue, and Development is an in-depth exploration of the collected works of Mikhail Bakhtin to find relevance of key concepts of dialogism for understanding various aspects of human development. Taking the reality of differences in the world as a given, Bandlamudi argues that such a reality necessitates dialogue, and actively responding to that necessity leads to development. The varied works of Bakhtin that span several decades passing through the most tumultuous period in Russian history, are brought under one banner of three D’s – Difference, Dialogue and Development – and the composite features of the three D’s emerge as leitmotifs in every chapter.

Why women’s voices are outnumbered online and what we can do about it, by a New York Times comment moderator. If you’ve read the comments posted by readers of online news sites, you may have noticed the absence of women’s voices. Men are by far the most prolific commenters on politics and public affairs. When women do comment, they are often attacked or dismissed more than men are. In fact, the comment forums on news sites replicate conditions of the offline and social media worlds, where women are routinely interrupted, threatened, demeaned, and called wrong, unruly, disgusting, and out of place. In Digital Suffragists, Marie Tessier—a veteran journalist and a New York Times comment moderator for more than a decade—investigates why women’s voices are outnumbered online and what we can do about it. The suffragists of the early twentieth century were jailed for trying to vote. Can a twenty-first century democracy be functional when half of the population is not fully represented in a primary form of political communication? Tessier shows that for online comments, it’s a design problem: the linear blog comment formula was based on deeply gender-biased assumptions. Technologies designed with a broad range of end users in mind, she points out, are more successful and beneficial than those that reflect the designer’s own habits of mind. Tessier outlines benchmarks for a more democratic media, all of which stem from one fundamental idea: media must adopt gender and racial representation as key performance indicators. Equal speaking time for women is a measure of democracy.