Beyond Polarization: Social Media, Political Formation, and Collective Meaning-Making

Adam Aleksic

Writer, Linguist, Influencer @ Etymology Nerd

Adam Aleksic is a linguist, author, and digital creator known as the “Etymology Nerd,” whose educational videos reach more than three million followers across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. A Harvard College graduate and former president of its Undergraduate Linguistics Society, he writes and lectures on language, technology, and social media. He is the New York Times bestselling author of Algospeak and is currently writing a book exploring how technology shapes our collective sense of reality.

Alexandra Braxton

Freelance Digital Strategist

Alexandra Braxton is a freelance digital strategist working at the intersection of online communication, audience development, and social-media strategy. Her work considers how messages move across digital platforms, how audiences form relationships with creators and institutions, and how online communication shapes public understanding. She brings a practitioner’s perspective to conversations about political media, collective meaning-making, and the challenges of reaching people in a changing information environment.

Alexandria Beightol

Podcast Host @ Southern Poverty Law Center

Alexandria “Abaetol” Beightol is a cultural critic, writer, and host of The Process with Alex Beightol, a podcast featuring conversations with authors and experts. Known for deep-dive videos that blend pop culture analysis with sociopolitical commentary, she has built a significant TikTok following. Beightol is also the host of APATHY IS NOT AN OPTION for the Southern Poverty Law Center and writes about media and systemic issues, including misogynoir and the political power of reality television on her Substack.

Andrew Bard Epstein

Political Communications Strategist @ M+R

Andrew Bard Epstein is a political communications strategist who served as communications director, spokesperson, and creative director for Zohran Mamdani’s successful campaign for New York City mayor. Most recently, he led communications for Claire Valdez’s congressional campaign. He previously served as chief of staff to New York State Assemblymember Emily Gallagher and managed her first campaign. A former journalist and labor organizer, Epstein holds graduate degrees in history from Yale and the University of Georgia.

Anne Thompson

Vice President of Strategic Communications @ M+R

Anne Thompson is Vice President of Strategic Communications at M+R, a public relations and advocacy firm, where she specializes in earned, paid, and digital media for progressive causes. Previously, she produced content for MSNBC, documentary films, and community radio before leading MoveOn’s creative team for five years. Her team produced more than 1,200 social media videos and advertisements generating over 850 million views. She also writes and speaks about strengthening progressive advocacy in the digital landscape.

Anthony Biello

Doctoral Candidate @ Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health

Anthony Biello is a doctoral candidate in Population Health Sciences at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, specializing in Social and Behavioral Sciences. His research examines how social media platforms, including their affordances, persuasive design features, and algorithms, shape users’ behavior, thinking, and mental health across different populations and contexts. He previously earned an Master of Arts in General Psychology from New York University and studied digital health interventions for chronically ill patients in hospitals.

Anya Schiffrin

Senior Lecturer @ Columbia University

Anya Schiffrin is a senior lecturer and faculty co-director of the Technology Policy and Innovation concentration at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. Her research examines global media, journalism, development, human rights, media sustainability, and online disinformation. She earned her PhD with honors from the University of Navarra and has edited several volumes, including Media Capture and Women in the Digital World. Her recent work explores AI, publishing, and the valuation of news.

Arun Chaudhary

Director @ Committee

Arun Chaudhary is an American political operative, filmmaker, and author who served as the first official White House videographer under President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2011. After working on Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign, he later served as creative director for Bernie Sanders’s 2016 campaign. A graduate of Cornell University and New York University, Chaudhary has also worked as a writer, director, sound designer, film critic, and professor. He authored the 2012 book First Cameraman.

Brinda Adhikari

Co-Creator + Co-Host @ Why Should I Trust You?

Brinda Adhikari is an award-winning executive producer, showrunner, and journalist with more than two decades of experience in television news and impact-driven storytelling. She is co-creator and co-host of Why Should I Trust You?, a weekly podcast examining declining trust in science, public health, and institutions through conversations across ideological divides. Previously, Adhikari served as executive producer of The Problem with Jon Stewart and spent nearly twenty years working at ABC News and CBS News.

Christina Brown

Content Creator @ Uncancel Culture

Christina Brown, known online as @missxtinab, is a comedian, writer, and digital creator whose work blends Black cultural commentary, social analysis, and humor. She began creating video content during the 2020 racial justice protests while studying in Paris and now works as a full-time creator in New York. Through comedic sketches, stand-up, and her podcast Uncancel Culture, Brown explores politics, identity, community, and online life while pursuing television writing and performance on larger screens.

Danielle Lee Tomson

Research Manager @ University of Washington Center for an Informed Public

Danielle Lee Tomson is a writer, scholar, and strategist specializing in political influencers, online subcultures, polarization, propaganda, and platform policy. She is research manager at the University of Washington’s Center for an Informed Public, where she studies institutional communication and election rumors. Tomson earned her doctorate from Columbia University and is developing her dissertation into the Oxford University Press book Under the Influence. She previously led Civic Hall’s forums and the Personal Democracy Forum summit.

Dustin “Dino” Guastella

Director of Operations @ Teamsters Local 623 | Research Associate + Board Member @ Center for Working-Class Politics 

Dustin “Dino” Guastella is director of operations at Teamsters Local 623 in Philadelphia, a contributing writer at Damage Magazine, and a board member and researcher at the Center for Working-Class Politics. His research examines working-class political attitudes, populist economic policies, candidate appeals, and the prospects for class-based political organizing. His writing explores labor, social solidarity, political persuasion, and how digital media and professional-class culture shape left politics. He is also a contributor to Rustin’s Challenge.

Elliott Edsall

Doctoral Candidate @ University of Minnesota Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication 

Elliott Edsall is a fourth-year doctoral candidate at the University of Minnesota Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Edsall's research sits at the intersection of political communication, sports communication, populism studies, critical-cultural studies, and journalism studies, and his dissertation focuses on the popularization of right-wing politics across popular digital media.

Emily Jashinsky

Host @ After Party with Emily Jashinsky + Breaking Points

Emily Jashinsky is a journalist, commentator, and host of After Party with Emily Jashinsky, a show examining politics, media, and popular culture. Based in Washington, D.C., she is also UnHerd’s Washington correspondent, a co-host of Breaking Points, and host of The Megyn Kelly Wrap-Up Show on SiriusXM. Previously, she served as an editor at The Federalist and hosted Federalist Radio Hour. Her work explores American politics, cultural change, media institutions, and the evolving digital landscape.

Felipe Heusser

Chief Executive Officer @ Minuto 90

Felipe Heusser is chief executive officer of Minuto 90, a Chilean digital media outlet focused on soccer and its social and political dimensions. A lawyer, activist, and social entrepreneur, he co-founded Fundación Ciudadanía Inteligente, Súbela Radio, and civic-technology initiatives advancing public participation and government accountability. He is an Ashoka Fellow and former affiliate at Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society, where his work addressed open government and civic technology.

Heidi Przybyla

President @ Get Real News

Heidi Przybyla is president of Get Real News and an award-winning investigative and television journalist. Across roles at POLITICO, NBC News, USA TODAY, and Bloomberg, she has covered the White House, Congress, presidential campaigns, democracy, and the influence of dark money. Her Supreme Court reporting helped earn a George Polk Award, Batten Medal, and Toner Prize and made her team a Pulitzer Prize finalist.

Jeremy Clancy

Filmmaker + Narrative Strategist @ Jeremy Clancy Productions 

Jeremy Clancy is a filmmaker and political communications strategist whose work turns progressive campaigns into compelling digital narratives. He has written and directed widely viewed films for the Green Party of England and Wales, including videos featuring party leader Zack Polanski. His work has also supported Unite the Union, Amnesty International United Kingdom, and the Fire Brigades Union. Clancy specializes in emotionally resonant storytelling designed to build movements, expand audiences, and translate political ideas into action.

Joan Donovan

Assistant Professor of Journalism and Emerging Media Studies @ Boston University Critical Internet Studies Institute

Joan Donovan is an assistant professor of journalism and emerging media studies at Boston University and founder of the Critical Internet Studies Institute. Her research examines media manipulation, disinformation, online extremism, networked social movements, and the political uses of digital technology. She is a coauthor of Meme Wars: The Untold Story of the Online Battles Upending Democracy in America, which traces how internet culture and political movements reshaped American politics.

Judith Nwandu

Senior Associate Producer + Political Reporter @ The Shade Room

Judith Nwandu is a senior associate producer and political reporter for The Shade Room, where she covers national politics and culture for a major digital audience. Her reporting and commentary have appeared on CBS Los Angeles, MSNBC, E!, BET, and other outlets. Nwandu has interviewed President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris and reported across entertainment and political news. She is a moderator and speaker recognized for making public issues accessible and engaging.

Kate Glavan

Content Creator + Podcast Host @ Seamossgirlies
Kate Glavan is a freelance content creator based in New York City, focusing on health, wellness, and running. Kate is the co-creator of Seamossgirlies, a health and wellness podcast and meme page.

Marshall Kosloff

Director of Special Projects @ Niskanen Center | Podcast Host @ The Realignment Podcast

Marshall Kosloff is director of special projects at the Niskanen Center and host of The Realignment, a podcast examining shifts in American politics, economics, technology, national security, and governance. Through long-form conversations with scholars, policymakers, journalists, and entrepreneurs, he explores how changing coalitions and institutions are reshaping public life. He previously hosted Hudson Institute’s Arsenal of Democracy podcast and worked as a researcher for PBS’s Firing Line with Margaret Hoover.

Nika Kovač

Executive Director @ Democracy Hub

Nika Kovač is the founding director of the Research Institute of 8th March, a Slovenian movement-building organization using storytelling and advocacy to advance gender and economic equality. Under her leadership, the institute helped redefine rape law around affirmative consent and led successful national referendums protecting public water and independent media. Kovač also coordinated Slovenia’s largest get-out-the-vote campaign and launched the Europe-wide “My Voice, My Choice” initiative. She has received national and international leadership honors worldwide.

Reece Peck

Associate Professor of Media Culture @ College of Staten Island, City University of New York

Reece Peck is an associate professor in the Department of Media Culture at the College of Staten Island, specializing in television and digital news, populist rhetoric, tabloid media, and partisan identity. He is the author of Fox Populism: Branding Conservatism as Working Class, which examines how Fox News gives conservative politics cultural and emotional meaning. His current research explores alt-right and alt-left political channels on YouTube and the evolution of partisan media in American politics.

Sean Morrow

Senior Writer @ More Perfect Union

Sean Morrow is senior writer at More Perfect Union, an Emmy Award-winning nonprofit newsroom covering labor, economic policy, business, and politics from a working-class perspective. His work translates complex political and economic developments into accessible digital journalism for audiences across social platforms. At More Perfect Union, he contributes to an approach combining investigative reporting and video storytelling with sustained attention to corporate accountability, worker power, and the economic forces shaping everyday life.

Tara McGowan

Founder + Publisher @ COURIER

Tara McGowan is an American political strategist and former journalist specializing in digital media and political communications. She founded Good Information and previously co-founded and led ACRONYM and Courier Newsroom. McGowan directed Priorities USA Action’s $42 million digital advertising program supporting Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign and served as a digital producer for President Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign. Her work focuses on strengthening progressive media infrastructure and reaching audiences through digital-first news and advertising.

Victoria Alexander-Thompson

Freelance Public Speaker + Content Creator

Victoria Alexander-Thompson is a public speaker, content creator, educator, and racial-equity researcher. Her work focuses on anti-racist pedagogy, critical consciousness, and the experiences of Black and racially minoritized people in higher education. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Maryland in 2025, where her dissertation examined Black student demands and institutional accountability. Through her digital content, she connects historical and cultural analysis to contemporary debates about race, power, and popular media.

Whitney Phillips

Associate Professor of Information Politics and Media Ethics @ University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication

Whitney Phillips is associate professor of information politics and media ethics and the John L. Hulteng Endowed Chair at the University of Oregon. Her interdisciplinary research examines how information shapes politics, public discourse, identity, and wellbeing, with particular attention to right-wing media, conspiratorial belief, moral panics, humor, and digital culture. Her major published works include The Shadow Gospel, You Are Here, The Ambivalent Internet, and This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things.

Registration is free, but you must register in advance! Register at this link: https://forms.gle/3c5uHnSur3V11Dn6A