Munmun De Choudhury is a computer scientist and associate professor at Georgia Tech, known for her research on social media, mental health, and AI ethics.
Social Media and Society in India
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
April 7-8, 2023
Our third event on social media and society at the University of Michigan School of Information focuses on India and features a host of scholars and practitioners in person. The event presents speakers who will discuss the impact of social media on various aspects of Indian society from food and exercise to journalism and democratic rights. The event is hybrid, in-person attendees will have a chance to see the speakers at the venue, while those joining online will be provided a zoom link.
In Person at 2435 North Quad, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Online from 9.00 AM to 6.00 PM US Eastern Time
Register here: https://forms.gle/sQVYqVztPwWZSjks8
Associate Professor, Georgia Tech
Vikas Divyakirti is the founder of Drishti IAS, a leading online and offline platform for civil services exam preparation in India, and a former civil servant himself.
Director, Drishti IAS
Joan Donovan is a social scientist and researcher at Harvard University, specializing in online extremism, disinformation, and media manipulation.
Research Director, Shorenstein Center (HKS)
Saurabh Dwivedi is a journalist and the founding editor of Lallantop, a popular Hindi news and opinion website in India, covering politics, society, and culture.
Founding Editor, Lallantop
Apar Gupta is a lawyer and the executive director of the Internet Freedom Foundation, a non-profit organization advocating for digital rights and freedom of expression in India.
Executive Director, Internet Freedom Foundation
Rega Jha is an Indian writer and editor, known for her work as the former editor-in-chief of BuzzFeed India, and for her contributions to online media and feminist discourse.
Writer
Kaneez Surka is a leading comedian and improv artist of Indian descent, known for her witty humour and satirical take on her experiences as a women. She has featured in several shows on Netflix, Amazon Prime and YouTube.
Comedian
Harnidh Kaur is a writer, poet, and researcher, known for her works on gender, mental health, and the experiences of the Sikh community, and for her contributions to the Indian literary scene.
Poet
Arfa Khanum Sherwani is an Indian journalist and news anchor, known for her work at The Wire, covering politics, society, and gender, and for her advocacy for press freedom and independent journalism.
Senior Editor, The Wire
Sushant Divgikar is an Indian model, actor, singer, columnist, psychologist, motivational speaker, drag queen, pageant director, and video jockey. They were crowned Mr Gay India in 2014.
Model, Actor
Masrat Zahra is Photojournalist/Documentary Photographer from Srinagar, India. She is currently a Knight Wallace Fellow at the University of Michigan.
Photojournalist
Tanu Mitra is a Social Computing researcher and an assistant professor at University of Washington. Her research focusses on understanding and designing defenses against problematic information in online social platforms, using large real-life datasets.
Assistant Professor, University of Washington
Meena Kotwal is the founder of Mooknayak, an online news channel and website focused on social justice for the Dalit minority and marginalised people.
Founding Editor, Mooknayak
Srijan Kumar is a computer scientist and assistant professor at Georgia Tech, known for his research on machine learning, data mining, and social network analysis, and for his contributions to the development of algorithms for online platforms
Assistant Professor, Georgia Tech
Mohak Mangal is an Indian YouTuber, known for his informative journalistic videos on various topics, and for his popular social media presence and YouTube channel.
Soch, YouTube
Karuna Nandy is an Indian Supreme Court lawyer and human rights activist, known for her work on gender rights, LGBTQ rights, and child welfare, and for her advocacy for justice and equality.
Supreme Court Lawyer
RJ Sayema is a popular Indian radio jockey, known for her work on the FM station Radio Mirchi, and for her contributions to the promotion of Indian music, culture, and social issues through radio. Her growth on Social Media is also attributed to her storytelling, Urdu poetry recitals and English pronunciation videos.
Radio Jockey, Radio Mirchi
Abhinandan Sekhri is an Indian media personality, writer and filmmaker, known for his work as the co-founder of the news and media critique website Newslaundry, and for his contributions to Indian media and journalism.
CEO and Co-Founder, Newslaundry
Nikhil Taneja is an Indian content creator, producer, and entrepreneur, known for his work with Yuvaa, a digital platform for youth empowerment, and for his contributions to the Indian entertainment industry and youth culture.
Co-Founder and CEO, Yuvaa
Shobha Kapoor is the Director of Media & Communications at Sesame Workshop India. A marketing professional with over 18 years of experience and a winner of the 2022 Kargil Gaurav National Award for her work with women and children.
Director of Media & Communications, Sesame Workshop India
Richa Chadda is an Indian actress, known for her powerful performances in movies like Gangs of Wasseypur and Masaan, and for her activism on social and political issues.
Actor, Producer
Dr. Cyriac Abby Philips (aka TheLiverDoc) is a multi-award winning Clinician-Scientist and liver-diseases specialist who has actively used disruptive peer-reviewed publications and social media to debunk medical disinformation online.
Health Misinformation Debunker
Dr Tanaya Narendra (DrCuterus) is a registered doctor, author and a multi-award winning social media influencer known for work on sexual health education in India.
Reproductive Health Physician
Bezwada Wilson is the National Convenor of the Safai Karmachari Andolan (SKA), campaigning for the eradication of manual scavenging, the construction, operation and employment of manual scavengers.
National Convenor, Safai Karmachari Andolan (SKA)
Dr Madri Kakoti (DrMedusa) is an assistant professor of linguistics at the University of Lucknow, who has pioneered the use of social media and a satirical take on current affairs to spread grammar literacy.
Satirist
ROFLGandhi is a hugely popular faceless Twitter account that posts humorous and satirical content on politics and society.
Satirist
Jacinta Kerketta is an Indigenous women's rights activist from Jharkhand, India, working to empower Adivasi women and raise awareness on issues related to their social, economic, and political rights.
Poet, Freelance Journalist
Monojit Choudhury is a Principal Scientist at Microsoft, Turing, India, working on natural language processing, machine learning, and their applications in multilingual settings.
Principal Data and Applied Scientist, Turing India (Microsoft)
Ravi Iyer is an academic, moral psychologist and ex-Meta Civic Integrity data science and research manager.
Managing Director, Psychology of Technology Institute
Ashique KhudaBukhsh is a computational social scientist and an assistant professor at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), and develops methods for studying social media across linguistically diverse regions.
Assistant Professor, Rochester Institute of Technology
Kuhu Tanvir is a professor and researcher at Michigan State University specialising in film and media studies of the Global South.
Assistant Professor, Michigan State University
Ramaswami Mahalingam is a professor of psychology at the University of Michigan, specializing in cultural psychology, ethnic identity, and mental health in diverse populations.
Professor, University of Michigan (LSA)
General Secretary, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee
Organisers
Joyojeet Pal is a professor of information at the University of Michigan, working on issues related to technology and development, social media focusing on the Global South.
Associate Professor, University of Michigan (UMSI)
Todd Stuart organizes events at UMSI, including symposiums, workshops, guest speakers, orientation, convocation and commencement among others.
Events Manager, University of Michigan (UMSI)
Student Organisers
Platform Design Roundtables
Event Sponsors
- School of Information, University of Michigan
- Center for South Asia Studies, University of Michigan
- John Seely Brown Technology & Society Lecture Fund, School of Information
- Martha Boaz Distinguished Lectureship Fund, School of Information
- Digital Studies Institute, University of Michigan
- Center for Ethics, Society, and Computing, University of Michigan
- Wallace House Center for Journalists, University of Michigan