Joan Donovan
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Joan Donovan (born 1979/1980) is an American
social science Social science (often rendered in the plural as the social sciences) is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among members within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the ...
researcher, sociologist, and academic noted for her research on
disinformation Disinformation is misleading content deliberately spread to deceive people, or to secure economic or political gain and which may cause public harm. Disinformation is an orchestrated adversarial activity in which actors employ strategic dece ...
. She is the founder of a nonprofit
The Critical Internet Studies Institute
(CISI). Since 2023, she is an assistant professor at the College of Communication at
Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...
. Prior to that, Donovan was a researcher and lecturer at the
Harvard Kennedy School The John F. Kennedy School of Government, commonly referred to as Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), is the school of public policy of Harvard University, a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard Kennedy School offers master's de ...
at
Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
. She was also an affiliate at Data and Society, and was research director of the Technology and Social Change Research Project at the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Public Policy.


Education

Donovan earned her Ph.D. in sociology and science studies from the
University of California, San Diego The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego in communications material, formerly and colloquially UCSD) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in San Diego, California, United States. Es ...
. She was a post-doctoral fellow at the Institute for Society and Genetics at
University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...
, where her expertise was social movements, technology, and the use of DNA ancestry tests by white supremacists.


Career

She later held the role of research lead for the Media Manipulation Initiative a
Data and Society
an independent nonprofit research institute, that mapped how interest groups, governments, political operatives, corporations, and others use the internet and media to disrupt social institutions. After Data and Society, Donovan went on to
Harvard Kennedy School The John F. Kennedy School of Government, commonly referred to as Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), is the school of public policy of Harvard University, a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard Kennedy School offers master's de ...
, leading its Technology and Social Change Research Project and teaching a class entitled, Media Manipulation and Disinformation Campaigns. In September 2023, she was hired as a tenure-track faculty member by the
Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...
College of Communication and given the title of assistant professor.


Areas of research

Donovan's expertise is in examining internet and technology studies,
online extremism Internet activism involves the use of electronic-communication technologies such as social media, e-mail, and podcasts for various forms of activism to enable faster and more effective communication by citizen movements, the delivery of particular ...
,
media manipulation Media manipulation refers to orchestrated campaigns in which actors exploit the distinctive features of broadcasting mass communications or digital media platforms to mislead, misinform, or create a narrative that advances their interests and ag ...
, and
disinformation campaign Disinformation attacks are strategic deception campaigns involving media manipulation and internet manipulation, to disseminate misleading information, aiming to Confusion, confuse, paralyze, and Political polarization, polarize an audience. Disinf ...
s. In January 2020, she testified at the "Americans at Risk: Manipulation and Deception in the Digital Age" hearing held by the
House Committee on Energy and Commerce A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...
's Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce. As research director of the Harvard project, she published a number of impactful research papers and books. Donovan co-authored a widely-read study that demonstrated that a significant number of participants in the January 6 attack on the Capitol were driven by their support for
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
. In September 2021, Donovan released a book entitled, ''Meme Wars: The Untold Story of the Online Battles Upending Democracy in America'', with co-authors Emily Dreyfuss and Brian Friedberg. The book explores the spread of right-wing political conspiracy theories through online media. In 2022, Harvard announced that her research project there would end in 2024. Due to announcement of the closing of the project, she accepted a faculty position at
Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...
. The Harvard project ended in August 2023, and Donovan began her work at Boston University in September. On January 5, 2024, ''
The Conversation ''The Conversation'' is a 1974 American neo-noir mystery thriller film written, produced, and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. It stars Gene Hackman as a surveillance expert who faces a moral dilemma when his recordings reveal a potential ...
'' published
Jan. 6 was an example of networked incitement − a media and disinformation expert explains the danger of political violence orchestrated over social media
' by Donovan following research into the weaponization of social media that influenced the January 6 insurrection at the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., in 2020 and compared its dynamics to events in previous decades.Donovan, Joan,
Jan. 6 was an example of networked incitement − a media and disinformation expert explains the danger of political violence orchestrated over social media
', ''
The Conversation ''The Conversation'' is a 1974 American neo-noir mystery thriller film written, produced, and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. It stars Gene Hackman as a surveillance expert who faces a moral dilemma when his recordings reveal a potential ...
'', January 5, 2024


Whistleblower disclosure

In December 2023, Donovan alleged that she was forced to leave Harvard due to pressure from
Meta Platforms Meta Platforms, Inc. is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Menlo Park, California. Meta owns and operates several prominent social media platforms and communication services, including Facebook, Instagram, Threads ...
owing to her research on online extremism. In a legal filing sent to both the
Massachusetts Attorney General The Massachusetts attorney general is an elected constitutionally defined executive officer of the Massachusetts government. The officeholder is the chief lawyer and law enforcement officer of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The officeholder ...
's office as well as the federal
United States Department of Education The United States Department of Education is a cabinet-level department of the United States government, originating in 1980. The department began operating on May 4, 1980, having been created after the Department of Health, Education, and ...
, Donovan alleged that financial pressure from the
Chan Zuckerberg Initiative The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) is an organization established and owned by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan with an investment of 99 percent of the couple's wealth from their Facebook shares over their lifetim ...
led to her being pushed out of Harvard. The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative denied involvement in her departure from the university. Harvard also disputed Donovan's accusation, asserting that they did not "fire" her; that they were unable to find a faculty member who would oversee her work (although being director of the research project, she was not employed as "faculty"); and that they offered her an alternate position, which she turned down.


Bibliography

Donovan has authored more than 35 articles, papers, and books including: * How news organizations should cover white supremacist shootings,
PBS NewsHour ''PBS News Hour'', previously stylized as ''PBS NewsHour'', is the news division of PBS and an American daily evening news broadcasting#television, television news program broadcast on over 350 PBS Network affiliate#Member stations, member stat ...
* Big Tech Companies Are Struggling With How To Best Police Their Platforms, ''
NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...
'' * Unlike Us Reader: Social Media Monopolies and Their Alternatives, Institute of Network Cultures * Navigating the Tech Stack: When, Where, and How Should we Moderate Content?, Centre for International Governance Innovation * Toward a Militant Ethnography of Infrastructure: Cybercartographies of Order, Scale, and Scope across the Occupy Movement, Journal of Contemporary Ethnography * Meme Wars: The Untold Story of the Online Battles Upending Democracy in America, Bloomsbury Publishing * Jan. 6 was an example of networked incitement − a media and disinformation expert explains the danger of political violence orchestrated over social media, ''
The Conversation ''The Conversation'' is a 1974 American neo-noir mystery thriller film written, produced, and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. It stars Gene Hackman as a surveillance expert who faces a moral dilemma when his recordings reveal a potential ...
''


References


External links

*
Critical Internet Studies Institute

Data and Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Donovan, Joan Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 21st-century American women American women sociologists American sociologists Boston University faculty Harvard Kennedy School faculty Internet theorists Mass media theorists Propaganda theorists University of California, San Diego alumni