Philosophy of Technology​

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The focus of my work in the philosophy of technology is how to build social media platforms that are conducive to people practicing their values. Previous projects have focused on epistemic and democratic values, but in newer work in development I am focused on how to build platforms that are conducive to us living meaningful and fulfilling lives. 

 

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 security. 
 

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. 

 

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