Hello, my name is Isaac Brickman, and welcome to the first episode of Office Hours.

Each week, I will talk to a professor about a topic that is relevant to you. Each professor will have a different perspective on the topic.

The goal is twofold. First, I want to make academia more accessible and applicable to everyone, including non-academic audiences. I also want to help dissolve the boundaries between disciplines by taking a holistic approach to learning.

Our first topic is social media and I am excited to have Ethan Zuckerman on the show to talk about it.

Ethan is an associate Communications, Computer Science, and Public Policy professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He was an affiliate of the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard, former director of the Center for Civic Media at MIT, a ted talker, author, and regretful inventor of the pop-up ad. His crowing achievement, however, is being my thesis advisor.