PDN Pro-Social. Building Better Feeds

​Platform social media feeds are designed to engage, often with harmful effects - from merely distracting us to fomenting violent divisions within societies. We know a bit about how feeds can be designed to reduce individual harms (see, e.g., KGI's Better Feeds report)- but can social media algorithms also be built to foster understanding and healthy disagreement, critical elements of a functioning democracy?

​Jonathan Stray has been thinking for a while about how our feeds can support "better conflict" (the name his newsletter goes by) and social cohesion. In one current project, Jonathan leads a team testing several "Prosocial Ranking" algorithms to see which, if any, can reduce dangerous levels of division. Another project is working to make those prosocial algorithms public. He joins us to talk about what he sees as the promising approaches building algorithms for pluralism to thrive. We hope you can likewise join the conversation.

​About Pro-Socials: Pro-Socials are informal meet-ups, where technologists and researchers can learn from - and inspire - each other around understanding and integrating prosocial design. Each Pro-Social includes a motivating question, conversation with experts and break-out convos where you can meet like-minded technologists (designers, product managers, entrepreneurs and trust & safety professionals) and researchers to share insights and begin to co-create new knowledge together.

​In partnership with the Council on Technology and Social Cohesion.