Our Mission
The Center for Media Innovation & Social Impact (MISI) exists to rebuild trust — in science, in democracy, and in one another — through impactful communication.
Media audiences are fractured. Trust in government is near historic lows. Algorithms curate not just what people see, but what they believe. In this fractured landscape, facts are questioned and credibility itself is contested. MISI asks: What makes communication trustworthy — and for whom?
We need to be experimenting with technologies and approaches to storytelling that are in support of democratic movements, institutions, and people who are working towards a more just and equitable society.
Eric Gordon, Director
MISI at Boston University advances research and practice at the intersection of media, technology, and democracy. We investigate how the media influences democratic participation and trust in public institutions — particularly in New England. Our work is directly informed by those most affected by today’s pressing social challenges to build a more just future.
Job Opportunity
Postdoctoral Fellow
MISI at Boston University invites applications for a one-year Postdoctoral Fellowship.
Working with Professors Eric Gordon and Chris Wells, the fellow will play a central role in a multi-year study of public trust across New England. The project examines how residents of urban, suburban, and rural communities make sense of information in their daily lives — from local news to institutional messaging and algorithmically curated feeds. We are investigating how trust forms, erodes, and gets repaired, and how technologies, institutions, community relationships, historical context, and physical environments shape the information ecologies people rely on. Click here for more details.
