Projects – The Technologies and International Development Lab at Georgia Tech

Digital Threats to Democracy and Political Development

Project Overview/Description

Enhancing civic engagement, strengthening democracy, and monitoring elections. What role does social media play in elections? How can we identify and respond to hate speech and disinformation designed to undermine democratic practice? Can we build systems that enhance transparency and good governance? How can ICTs help promote an innovative and effective civil society?

Keyword 1

Keyword 2

Keyword 3

Achievements

Publications

Best, M. L. (2016). Mobile Computing and Political Transformation. Communications of the ACM, 10(59), 21-22.

Smyth, T. N., Meng, A., Moreno, A., Best, M. L., & Zegura, E. W. (2016). Lessons in Social Election Monitoring. In Proceedings of the Eighth International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies and Development. ACM.

Zegura, E., Gangwani, P., Phadke, G., Hampton, E., Marun, V., Meng, A., Best, M.L., et al. (2016). A First Look at Eyes on the Vote. In Proceedings of the Eighth International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies and Development . ACM.

Best, M. L., & Meng, A. (2015). Twitter democracy: policy versus identity politics in three emerging African democracies. In Proceedings of the Seventh International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies and Development (ICTD2015). Singapore.

Best, M. L. (2014). Facebook Democracy: The Architecture of Disclosure and the Threat to Public Life. Perspective on Politics, 12(4), 950–951.

View All

Presentations

Project Lead / Team

[Lead A]
[Lead B]

Advisor

Dr. Michael L. Best

Interested

HCI For Development (HCI4D)

Project Overview/Description

Exploring systems to empower people and address their needs, desires, and aspirations. How (or why) do we design the “personal” out of “personal computers,” the desk out of the desktop, and English from the QWERTY keyboard? Instead, should we create a community computer based on agricultural or family metaphors, for instance? What is a user or community-centered design method for low-income countries?

Keyword 1

Keyword 2

Keyword 3

Achievements

Publications

View All

Presentations

Project Lead / Team

[Lead A]
[Lead B]

Advisor

Dr. Michael L. Best

Interested

Open Innovation Platform

Project Overview/Description

Inclusive innovation and social entrepreneurship with global connectivity. How do we design a globally connected makerspace that is diverse, accessible, and welcoming? How do we apply global manufacturing innovations and hardware prototyping efficiencies towards sustainable systems?

Keyword 1

Keyword 2

Keyword 3

Achievements

Publications

View All

Presentations

Project Lead / Team

[Lead A]
[Lead B]

Advisor

Dr. Michael L. Best

Interested

Peacebuilding In A Networked World

Project Overview/Description

Inventing new information and communication systems and examining the role of existing systems in conflict-stressed societies and post-conflict peace and reconciliation. Can rich media and the internet help to create dialogue and ultimately heal a nation? How can mobile phones enhance security? Can we build virtual peace memorials?

Keyword 1

Keyword 2

Keyword 3

Achievements

Publications

View All

Presentations

Project Lead / Team

[Lead A]
[Lead B]

Advisor

Dr. Michael L. Best

Interested

LIBERIA. 2004. War graffiti left during the various parts of the Liberian civil war.

Community-Based COVID-19
Social Media Monitoring and Response

Project Overview/Description

Supporting community partners in Georgia to track, triage, and respond to COVID-19 social media content to inform and enhance their COVID-19 response efforts. Who do different minoritized communities trust online? What content is most effective at raising vaccine confidence? What content is most harmful? How can we usefully integrate hyperlocal social media monitoring with targeted outwards health communication?

Keyword 1

Keyword 2

Keyword 3