Rensselaer Experts Available to Discuss Musk’s Twitter Takeover

Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter and subsequent dramatic changes have caused controversy and speculation. His corporate restructuring has included mass layoffs and resignations, calls for employees to “work long hours at high intensity,” and the elimination of remote work opportunities. Musk says he will introduce a subscription-based system of Twitter verification, which critics says allows impersonators and trolls. The copyright strike system was reportedly broken, as users uploaded full movies to the platform.

Further, the far right has hailed Musk’s Twitter takeover. He has reactivated the accounts of Donald Trump and Kanye West, he tweeted an anti-LGBTQ conspiracy theory regarding the attack on Paul Pelosi, and, according to a recent report, 99% of racist tweets on the World Cup were not deleted. Many users are concerned about their personal data and instructional articles on steps to protect it abound. Alternative platforms such as Mastodon are reporting dramatic increases in new registrants.

Experts from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute are available to discuss this evolving story and its many angles.

James Hendler – Privacy/Personal Data Concerns, Free Speech, Misinformation/Disinformation

James Hendler is a data scientist with specific interests in open government and scientific data, data science for healthcare, AI and machine learning, semantic data integration and the use of data in government. One of the originators of the Semantic Web, he has authored over 450 books, technical papers, and articles in the areas of Open Data, the Semantic Web, artificial intelligence, and data policy and governance.

Gaurav Jain – Marketing, Subscriptions, Users Navigating To Other Platforms

Gaurav Jain examines how individuals make judgments, estimates, and decisions in the absence of complete information. His research spans the fields of numerical cognition and judgment, working memory capacity, and attention limitations.

Timothy Golden – Influence Of Remote/Hybrid Work On Layoffs And Talent Acquisition And Retention, Survivor Syndrome After Layoffs

Timothy Golden’s research focuses on remote work, telework, telecommuting, and virtual interactions. He has conducted research in these areas for over 20 years, during which he has investigated a range of related topics, including performance, professional isolation, work-family conflict, the nature of job tasks, career success, exhaustion, coworker relationships, and knowledge sharing, to name a few.

About Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Founded in 1824, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is America’s first technological research university. Rensselaer encompasses five schools, over 30 research centers, more than 140 academic programs including 25 new programs, and a dynamic community made up of over 6,800 students and 104,000 living alumni. Rensselaer faculty and alumni include upwards of 155 National Academy members, six members of the National Inventors Hall of Fame, six National Medal of Technology winners, five National Medal of Science winners, and a Nobel Prize winner in Physics. With nearly 200 years of experience advancing scientific and technological knowledge, Rensselaer remains focused on addressing global challenges with a spirit of ingenuity and collaboration. To learn more, please visit www.rpi.edu.

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