The Digital Technology for Democracy Lab is a collaboration across the University of Virginia that explores how rapidly evolving digital technologies can challenge, but might also fortify, democratic institutions and practices.
Pioneering transdisciplinary research to explore democracy in the digital age
Our Focus
Upcoming Events
Social Contagions, Artificial Intelligence, and Democracy Workshop
Friday, January 9, 2026 • 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM EST
UVA McIntire School of Commerce
Digital Democracy from Below
Friday, February 20, 2026 • 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM EST
Bond House (600 Brandon Avenue) and Online
Research & Programming
Data in the Dark
Automation’s Ecologies
Visual Misinformation
AI & the Environment
Student Technology Council
Technology & Disinformation
Social Contagions
Gender and Tech
Co-Opting AI
Urban Digital Twins
Technology & Democracy Exchange
Data Center Policies
Descendant-Led Digital Humanities Lab & Network
Cryptocurrency & Democracy
Trending
DTD Lab Welcomes New Postdocs & Faculty
Meet the Lab
Reimagining AI for Environmental Justice & Creativity Collection of Essays
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Insights from the Visual Generative AI Propaganda Convening
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Video Library
In the News
AI Is Transforming Climate Science. Who Gets to Build It Matters, Says UVA Study
A UVA research team, including Mona Sloane, DTD Lab faculty co-lead, published a paper encouraging scientists, policymakers, and communities to rethink how AI processes for climate research are designed, governed, and shared.
How emotions spread online following celebrity suicide news
Analyses of resharing behavior reveal distinct temporal patterns in the online propagation of different emotions following tragedies in a new publication co-authored by DTD Lab postdoctoral research fellow, Ehsan Nouri.
Online propagation of emotions: A study of resharing dynamics on social media following celebrity suicides
Ehsan Nouri, DTD Lab postdoctoral research fellow, co-authors a paper about emotional contagion on social media, particularly following shocking and tragic events, which often unfolds through widespread resharing, amplifying affective responses that are typically intense and negative.
Join our vibrant lab and help us explore the intersection of digital technology and democracy.
Current Opportunities