SUBSTACK LIVE: OPENING SCRIPT (60–90 sec)
Hey everyone—welcome to this week’s Substack Live.
We’re looking at three pieces today that ask: What happens when we let tech design our civic lives—and what happens if we design back?
First, from Nieman Lab: a sharp reminder that social media isn’t neutral. Its architecture—what’s rewarded, what’s seen—shapes democracy itself. The design choices behind platforms either foster agency or undermine it.
Then, Ezra Klein talks with Kyla Scanlon about how people are struggling to read the world—economically, emotionally, and socially. AI’s not the focus, but it’s in the air: speeding things up, muddying meaning, and fraying our sense of the future.
And finally, Raffi Krikorian from Emerson Collective makes the case that philanthropy needs to do more than react to AI—it needs to shape it. Not just adopting tools, but investing in people, values, and long-term frameworks that make AI serve human goals, not just corporate ones.
Three different angles. One big question: Who’s designing the future—and who gets a say?
Let’s get into it.
https://www.niemanlab.org/2025/07/social-media-can-support-or-undermine-democracy-it-comes-down-to-how-its-designed/
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/rkrikorian_emerson-collective-activity-7341150162163068933-q4VF?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios&rcm=ACoAAAAFroIBha4YS9ykrOlU4aTrBWFrCglTWNM
https://www.emersoncollective.com/learning-library/harnessing-the-power-of-ai-tools
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/08/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-kyla-scanlon.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
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