Information Integrity Institute Postdoc Matthew Craig Attends Social Science Foo Camp at Meta
Matthew Craig, postdoctoral research associate at the Information Integrity Institute, was one of 150 select people invited to the 2025 Social Science Foo Camp at Meta headquarters in Palo Alto, California in early February. The event, often referred to as an “unconference” due to its unstructured schedule, allows attendees to determine topics on the spot so they can focus on of-the-moment discussions centered around artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and other technologies intertwined with social sciences.
“Typically, at conferences, the research being presented there has already been done and the scholar has already moved on to what they’re doing next. The idea of this is to talk about whatever that next thing is,” Craig explained.
For Craig, an interdisciplinary scholar in human-computer interaction and communication, the invitation to attend Foo Camp was so significant he doubted its veracity when it landed in his email inbox. He wasn’t the only one impressed with the fact he was hand-picked for this gathering of scholars, researchers, innovators, policymakers, and other influential people in the sphere of tech and social sciences.
“When Matthew shared with me that he had received an invitation to be part of the Social Science Foo Camp at Meta, I was so excited for him. Interacting with and discussing ideas with social scientists, policymakers, and members of the tech world is an invaluable experience,” said Professor Catherine Luther, director of the Information Integrity Institute, which is housed in the College of Communication and Information.
His work has focused on studying the connection between people’s understanding of AI-embedded systems and their information seeking and privacy management. He holds an interdisciplinary PhD in Communication and Information with a concentration in Media, Technology, and Society from Kent State University.
Craig started at the Institute in fall 2024 and is the inaugural postdoctoral research assistant to fill the position. His role is to support the Institute’s work but also to represent it through his research and at events such as Foo Camp.
“The notion of brainstorming ideas with individuals representing a vast array of disciplines reflects well what we are attempting to do with the CCI Information Integrity Institute—bringing together the minds of those in our college to collaborate on innovative and perhaps even groundbreaking research,” said Luther.
While Craig cannot speak about most of the topics discussed at Foo Camp—part of the event’s appeal and mystique lies in keeping much of the conversations that happen there confidential—he came away from it with a new infusion of knowledge and passion for his field of scholarship. Foo Camp aligns with his own approach to his research as one thing he appreciates most about both his doctoral program and current postdoctoral appointment is having flexibility and freedom to dig into topics he believes are impactful and relevant to society.
One example of his research is looking at how individuals perceive intrusive advertising—such as the feeling that phones are listening in on conversations and then using algorithms to produce relevant advertising—and what they do in response to that. A current topic he’s researching with a collaborator at the University of Cincinnati is how patients and providers perceive the use of AI in health settings. The results of this research can be used to identify the best ways to utilize such technology in a less-intrusive way.
“My goal is to look at the ways we can design technology to respect users’ privacy and allow users to have better control over it. I want to make sure my research is applicable as possible to the real world and what kind of things we need to look at and are currently happening with the impact of AI on people,” he said.
Craig said he’s appreciated the support CCI has given him in his scholarly pursuits alongside mentorship provided by the Information Integrity Institute’s faculty fellows. The position has allowed him to increase his rate of scholarly publication and to collaborate on research with the fellows, as well as acquire funding such as that from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation that made it possible for him to attend Foo Camp.
While the whole of Craig’s scholarship and past work qualified him to attend Foo Camp, his current position at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville— an R1 institution with a focus on emerging technologies—also played a role.
“It feels really great to be recognized at such an amazing unconference and to be a part of that conversation and help shape the conversation around those areas,” he said.
Information Integrity Institute Postdoc Matthew Craig Attends Social Science Foo Camp at Meta written by Hillary Tune and originally published on the College of Communication & Information site.