As a cofounder of Upworthy, and the author of "The Filter Bubble," Eli Pariser leverages technology to help build better and more democratic societies.
Why you should listen
Soon after September 11, 2001, Eli Pariser built a website calling for a multilateral approach to fighting terrorism. As a 20-year-old, he quickly found himself in contact with more than 500,000 people from around the world. He joined with MoveOn.org to spearhead its campaign against the war in Iraq and in 2004 he became MoveOn's executive director.
In 2011, suspecting that the internet might harbor hidden threats to democracy, Pariser wrote The Filter Bubble and introduced the term to the lexicon, exposing how algorithms amplify select ideas while making others invisible. In 2012, he cofounded Upworthy as a platform to direct millions of users to storytelling about issues that matter.
Now he is the codirector of the Civic Signals project at the National Conference on Citizenship, where he is working to create democracy-friendly spaces in the digital landscape.
Eli Pariser’s TED Talks
More news and ideas from Eli Pariser
Live from TEDSummit 2019
Not All Is Broken: Notes from Session 6 of TEDSummit 2019
July 25, 2019
In the final session of TEDSummit 2019, the themes from the week — our search for belonging and community, our digital future, our inextricable connection to the environment — ring out with clarity and insight. From the mysterious ways our emotions impact our biological hearts, to a tour-de-force talk on the languages we all speak, […]
Continue readingNews
A first glimpse at the TEDSummit 2019 speaker lineup
May 21, 2019
With TEDSummit 2019 just two months away, it’s time to unveil the first group of speakers that will take to the stage in Edinburgh, Scotland, from July 21-25. Three years ago, more than 1,000 members of the TED global community convened in Banff, Canada, for the first-ever TEDSummit. We talked about the fracturing state of […]
Continue readingIn Brief
An exercise-powered boat on the Seine, a young eagle hunter, and a test of global education
December 9, 2016
As usual, the TED community has lots of news to share this week. Below, some highlights. Bike on the Seine … literally. Carlo Ratti Associati unveiled a concept for the Paris Navigating Gym, a boat that would use the energy from passengers’ stationary-bike workouts to propel itself through Paris along the Seine. Aboard the 20-meter-long […]
Continue reading