Wyman Speaker Series features Siva Vaidhyanathan
 

Lecture titled “TikTok, AI, and Their Threats to Democracy”

March 19, 2025 – The University of Wisconsin-River Falls announces Siva Vaidhyanathan, Robertson Professor of Media Studies and director of the Center for Media and Citizenship at the University of Virginia, as a featured speaker for the Walker D. and Helen Bryant Wyman Speaker Series.

The lecture will take place Tuesday, March 25,, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at the Kinnickinnic River Theater, 3rd floor University Center on the UW-River Falls campus. The event is free and open to the public.

Vaidhyanathan is a distinguished author and scholar known for his critical analysis of media and its impact on society. His notable works include "Antisocial Media: How Facebook Disconnects Us and Undermines Democracy" (Oxford University Press, 2018), "Intellectual Property: A Very Short Introduction" (Oxford University Press, 2017), and "The Googlization of Everything -- and Why We Should Worry" (University of California Press, 2011).

The lecture, titled “TikTok, AI, and Their Threats to Democracy,” will address the conflict over whether the United States should ban TikTok, the popular video service from China, focusing on its potential to threaten security and distribute propaganda. Vaidhyanathan will delve into how the battle among big, global companies for our attention is about which company – and country – develops the best predictive artificial intelligence systems. He will argue that the battle over AI is the real threat to democratic accountability and represents the potential for concentrations of power.

With a background in journalism and a Ph.D. in american studies from the University of Texas at Austin, Vaidhyanathan brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to his discussions on media, technology and democracy. He is also a fellow at the New York Institute for the Humanities and a faculty associate of the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University.

For more information about the event, please contact Moira Lynch at moira.lynch@uwrf.edu.