This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

In a few years, social media has revolutionized the way we produce, share and consume information. This open and chaotic market for ideas challenges the very notion of objective truth on which knowledge has historically been built. It can be a powerful engine of collaborative innovation, or a massive factor of alienation, hatred, and violence. How can we reform its algorithms to ensure that what is viral becomes virtuous?

Having closed a career as a journalist for The Wall Street Journal, Michael now dedicates his time on projects harnessing the social, economic and political impact of digital technologies. He’s Senior Advisor at MIT Media Labs's Digital Currency Initiative, and consults for businesses on the challenges and opportunities in blockchain technology. His latest fascinating​ book​,​ co-authored with Oliver Luckett​, ​looks at social media​ and how it functions like a living organism, "The Social Organism: A Radical Understanding of Social Media to Transform Your Business and Life."