How to Engage Responsibly on Social Media (w/ Katherine Cross) | How to Be a Better Human | TED

Is it effective to engage with politics on social media — and what does it take to make actual change? Katherine Cross is a researcher on online harassment and the author of Log Off: Why Posting and Politics (Almost) Never Mix. She shares why she believes social media is “anti-political” and how virtual engagement will not achieve the necessary political work for us. Katherine and Chris also discuss the limitations of short-form content in conveying decades of geopolitical strife, why our lives would be better off without social media, and the guardrails platforms could utilize to help users engage with posts critically and to slow down viral misinformation.

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Host: Chris Duffy (Instagram: @chrisiduffy | chrisduffycomedy.com)
Guest: Katherine Cross (Website: ischool.uw.edu/people/phd/profile/kcross1)

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Log Off Why Posting and Politics (Almost) Never Mix

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Post from TED on September 10, 2025

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