SOCIAL MEDIA

J.M. Berger has authored and co-authored several groundbreaking studies on social media analysis, including the development of metrics for measuring influence, community detection and detecting the use of manipulative tactics online. He consults for government agencies and technology companies on these issues and is a member of the Independent Advisory Committee of the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT).

Berger's research informs his latest book, Optimal, a dystopian novel that "skewers reliance on social media" in "a sharp, gripping story of a bleak future," according to Kirkus Reviews.

LATEST for The Atlantic: The Year of Living Uncertainly

When no clear, authoritative source of truth exists, when uncertainty rages, human nature will lead many people to seek a more stable reality by wrapping themselves in an ever-tighter cloak of political, religious, or racial identities. The more uncertainty rises, the more alluring that siren call becomes. And some Americans are responding by seeking out exclusive, all-encompassing identities that are toxic and fragile—and hold the seed of violent extremism.