Distinguished Lecture Series: Natalie Bazarova, Professor of Communication and Director of the Social Media Lab, and Associate Vice Provost for Research, Cornell University
Date & Time: April 09, 2026 from 12:10 PM - 01:15 PM
Location: E208 Westgate Building
"Fostering Healthier Digital Ecosystems Through Prosocial Design and Digital Literacy Interventions”
The concept of upstanding as a prosocial act has evolved alongside the spread of harassment in digital spaces. With emergent technologies, including AI, capable of serving as both tools of harm and mechanism of protection, questions of risks, prosocial responsibility, and intervention take on new relevance. Drawing on research from multiple studies using realistic social media simulations, this talk examines the factors that catalyze the transition from inaction to upstanding online. By examining how prosocial, social, and technological dimensions intersect in digital environments, it identifies key barriers, moderating influences, and leverage points that can guide more effective prosocial design and digital literacy interventions. The talk also highlights broader implications for cultivating healthier digital ecosystems, including the growing role of AI as both a counterspeaker and a copilot in supporting constructive online engagement.
About the Speaker
Natalie Bazarova is a professor of communication, director of the Social Media Lab, and associate vice provost for research at Cornell University. Her research examines people’s behaviors in various sociotechnical environments across a broad range of technologies and communities. By integrating multidisciplinary approaches, she examines the interplay between communication technology and social behavior to understand how people engage with different technologies and the resulting changes in well-being, personal and professional lives, and communities. She leverages this knowledge to design and evaluate new interventions and tools that promote digital and AI literacy, online safety, prosocial behaviors, and digital well-being.
About the Distinguished Lecture Series.
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