A conversation with Zeynep Tufekci: social media, politics and you
Techno-sociologist Zeynep Tufekci answers questions about the information revolution, how it influences her work in the School of Information and Library Science, and what it means for us all.
Zeynep Tufekci, associate professor in the UNC School of Information and Library Science, is an expert on the ways technology impacts society, from social and political movements to the privacy of everyday social media users.
Tufekci is widely known for her New York Times op-eds, TED Talks and books. Here she shares some thoughts about our increasingly digital word and her work at Carolina.
Q: How does your work fit into the mission and goal of SILS?
A: The mission of SILS includes discovering the principles and impacts of information, and how information interacts with quality of life for local, national and global communities. As we undergo an information revolution, my work focuses on exactly those questions.
Q: Has the mission of SILS changed as social media becomes more advanced and prominent in our lives?
A: It’s not that the mission changes, but how we conduct research and some of the questions we address do change. It’s still the same set of guiding principles.
Q: What does your research focus on?
A: I focus on the interaction between how information technology and artificial intelligence are changing the fabric of our society, and what that means for our sociality, politics and our world.
Q: The average American now spends 24 hours online per week. What is one thing we should be aware of every time we log on?
A: The business models of online platforms. For so many of our services, we’re the product being surveilled and sold. If you are not paying for something that’s offered by a for-profit company, you are likely the product being sold.
Q: Is there a solution to the privacy risks people face online? Can big data and privacy coexist?
A: We need new technological and political solutions — we can definitely keep most of the conveniences and possibilities of the digital world and keep our privacy, but there has to be regulation, innovation and effort to get there.
