People & Blogs

How to Engage Responsibly on Social Media (w/ Katherine Cross) | How to Be a Better Human | TED

Published

12 months ago

September 10, 2025

Is it effective to engage with politics on social media — and what does it take to make actual change? Katherine Cross is a researcher on online harassment and the author of Log Off: Why Posting and Politics (Almost) Never Mix. She shares why she believes social media is “anti-political” and how virtual engagement will not achieve the necessary political work for us. Katherine and Chris also discuss the limitations of short-form content in conveying decades of geopolitical strife, why our lives would be better off without social media, and the guardrails platforms could utilize to help users engage with posts critically and to slow down viral misinformation.

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Host: Chris Duffy (Instagram: @chrisiduffy | chrisduffycomedy.com)
Guest: Katherine Cross (Website: ischool.uw.edu/people/phd/profile/kcross1)

Links
Log Off Why Posting and Politics (Almost) Never Mix

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20 Comments

@ThaoLeLe-t5o

September 10, 2025 at 11:30 am

I find your videos very interesting and useful. Thank you for such quality content.🌘🦊😚

Reply
@HaiDoDo-f1m

September 10, 2025 at 11:30 am

Thank you very much for the variety of topics and unique style. Your videos always leave a positive impression.☺️🥌‍⬛

Reply
@globalautobahn1132

September 10, 2025 at 11:31 am

Free speech always is more important than one’s “feelings”

Reply
@brielyse_

September 10, 2025 at 11:52 am

This is GOOD!

Reply
@Monica-gj2yx

September 10, 2025 at 12:02 pm

I am careful to not get into “flame wars” online. Kindness is key! ❤

Reply
@ExistentialWolf

September 10, 2025 at 12:23 pm

Nah… computers are harmless, sounds like you need a sweater and a lock on the fridge move on 😀

Reply
@Jasonxbr

September 10, 2025 at 12:50 pm

Boycott social media 😢😢😢😢😢

Reply
@KeiranR

September 10, 2025 at 2:13 pm

OK let’s get something straight here things that happened on the internet don’t actually happen… That’s virtual reality not actual reality… Imagine telling someone born in the 80s that you would be punished for something that you virtually did and not actually did…

Reply
- @logik99
  
  September 10, 2025 at 6:41 pm
  
  Things that you do on the internet can have genuine ripple effects. It’s the same as telling someone from the 80s that you could be punished for something you wrote in a newspaper that could be reasonably expected to have an effect which then happened. The issue compared to the 80s, is everyone is their own newspaper now… which an 80s person would struggle to comprehend
  
  Reply
- @AnnieB-v8j
  
  September 10, 2025 at 8:45 pm
  
  @@logik99 However, the amazing work being done on behalf of rescued horses and mustangs by Idaho Horseshoeing School is totally worthy and accessible by YT and FB.
  
  Reply
@sampicy

September 11, 2025 at 12:34 am

There is no meaning. At all. It’s all boring “life ” .. ” I didn’t watch the video”

Reply
@jimdandytheboss

September 11, 2025 at 4:22 am

Kathrine Cross is a legitimately bad person.

Reply
- @diegomendoza8978
  
  September 11, 2025 at 2:41 pm
  
  Creo que es una dama con vara no?
  
  Reply
- @jimdandytheboss
  
  September 12, 2025 at 3:01 am
  
  @@diegomendoza8978 Si.
  
  Reply
@diegomendoza8978

September 11, 2025 at 2:46 pm

Tiene razón ese wey

Reply
@alistairbascom6933

September 11, 2025 at 7:39 pm

I try to be diplomatic on social media.

Reply
@joseluisnewyork

September 12, 2025 at 8:58 am

People are free to give an opinion, you are the only one who decide how that affects your life.

Reply
@Bythirteen

September 12, 2025 at 12:03 pm

that was well timed helpful information

Reply
@BonnieShadow33

September 12, 2025 at 7:18 pm

YouTube is the only social media I engage in anymore. I use FB Messenger, but I almost never look at posts. I really try to be kind on here, try to let things go when I can see it won’t be productive. I’m getting better at it, I think. I want to be known as a kind person.

Reply
@Krichnu

September 13, 2025 at 5:41 pm

In the tax reports of Feminist Frequency in 2013, Katherine Cross was listed as the Secretary of Feminist Frequency.Between April 2014 and December 2014, Katherine Cross published a total of four opiniated articles which covered Anita Sarkeesian and/or Feminist Frequency. She has failed to disclose this in all four articles, thus resulting in a clear conflict of interest.

You ever wonder why no one is watching you anymore? Maybe have some integrity

Reply

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