Philosophy of Technology​

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The focus of my work in the philosophy of technology is how to build an epistemically and democratically healthier internet. This work is made up of two projects: (1) a project dedicated to discovering the norms we need to evaluate the health of platforms, and (2) a project dedicated to determining the epistemic and democratic consequences of engagement-based AI algorithms and how best to use them. Much of this work has been done as a member of the DIVER Lab (Data, Intelligence, Values, Ethics, and Research) with Mara Harrell and David Danks. 

I'd be happy to chat about any and all papers :) 
 

Do it Yourself Content and the Wisdom of the Crowds
Erkenntnis 2025
With Maralee Harrell and David Danks 

Synopsis: Argues that recommendation algorithms on social media platforms serve as a credentialing institution for DIY content creators, and explains why this doesn't work for those who create content about vaccines, climate change, and election safety information. 
 

Environmental Epistemology 

​Synthese 2024
With Maralee Harrell and David Danks 

Synopsis: When we critique Facebook for being conducive to the spread of misinformation, it doesn't seem like we are critiquing Facebook for failing doxastically (e.g., for being irrational or for lacking knowledge). This paper defends norms for the evaluations of epistemic environments, that can help us evaluate critiques like this.​

 

Building Epistemically Healthier Platforms 
Episteme 2024
With Maralee Harrell and David Danks 
 

Synopsis: Using the framework developed in "Environmental Epistemology" this paper provides guidance regarding how platforms ought to sort content when algorithms and individuals have difficulty picking out experts. 

Using Verification to Help Social Media Users Recognize Experts 
Tech Policy Press 2024
With Maralee Harrell and David Danks 
 

Synopsis: This is a public piece that defends some of the insights from "Building Epistemically Healthier Platforms". 

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