David Karpf(Throwback Thursday)Lessons from the predictable failure of Americans ElectThere’s an old saying that, once something is online, it is there forever. That’s not actually true. As Jonathan Zittrain points out, “the…Apr 21, 2022Apr 21, 2022
David KarpfAn Open Letter to the American Political Science Association regarding John Eastman and the…(Members of the APSA can sign on to this letter by clicking here)Sep 23, 2021Sep 23, 2021
David KarpfThe Infowars Purge, and Life among Responsible Information Monopolies(Adapted and updated from my remarks at the 2018 International Communication Association Annual Meeting.)Aug 9, 2018Aug 9, 2018
David KarpfQAnon, immersive gaming, and the impending nihilistic collapse of civic lifeWhen you dissolve the boundary between politics and entertainment, things start to get weird.Aug 2, 2018Aug 2, 2018
David KarpfSorting through the Facebook-Russia-Trump Advertising StoryWe learned from the Washington Post last week that a Kremlin-backed Russian firm spent at least $100,000 on Facebook ads to influence the…Sep 14, 20172Sep 14, 20172
David KarpfWhat about “President Bannon?” (an addendum)(This is a follow-up to Monday’s post, assessing the first week of the Trump Presidency. TL;DR version: I don’t believe we’re witnessing a…Feb 1, 2017Feb 1, 2017
David KarpfIs this what a nervous breakdown looks like in the Presidency?An alternate reading of the first week of Trump’s PresidencyJan 30, 20176Jan 30, 20176
David KarpfPolitical Problem-Solving in the Age of Trump. (We’re going to need a fresh sheet of paper.)(TL;DR version: if the big idea you have for 2017 would be identical under a Clinton Presidency, it’s time to adjust your frame of…Jan 17, 20171Jan 17, 20171
David KarpfWhen the Press Fails II: the Danger of Reflexive BalancingLast week, I taught my graduate students about the theory of the “semi-independent press” that comes from Lance Bennett, Regina Lawrence…Nov 28, 20161Nov 28, 20161
David KarpfThe Riddle of Trumpian NormalizationHere’s a riddle that I hope we will all keep in mind:Nov 14, 2016Nov 14, 2016
