Francesca Bolla Tripodi

Francesca Bolla Tripodi is an Associate Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's School of Information and Library Science, and a Principal Investigator at the Center for Information, Technology, and Public Life (CITAP). Her research focuses on sociotechnical vulnerabilities in information systems, misinformation dynamics, and algorithmic polarization. She combines ethnography with digital methods to study how inequality and disinformation permeate online platforms like Wikipedia, search engines, and social media.

Her work examines conservative elites' use of strategic signaling and search engine optimization to spread disinformation, as detailed in her book 'The Propagandists’ Playbook' (2022). She has testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on search engine censorship and collaborated with institutions like the Wikimedia Foundation. Her research spans topics including gender representation on Wikipedia, health information access, and the role of libraries in combating disinformation.

Recent publications explore information ecosystems, propaganda in libraries, and the sociotechnical frameworks behind misinformation's persistence. She emphasizes proactive strategies to counter algorithmic polarization and media manipulation tactics threatening democratic processes.

• Key Research Themes: Disinformation, Algorithmic Bias, Media Literacy, Digital Inequality, Platform Governance
• Collaborations: Wikimedia Foundation, UMass Amherst, Senate Judiciary Committee
• Public Engagement: Keynote speaker at Mapping the Far-Right Digital Infrastructure Series and Frank Gathering