Sustainable Media Center broadens mission to digital democracy and GenZ

The Sustainable Media Center is expanding its focus beyond social media harms to digital democracy, AI and political accountability as the 2028 election approaches. The nonprofit also added six new board and NextGen advisors and launched a redesigned website to support its journalism and public programming.

Why it matters: - The Sustainable Media Center is shifting from mainly documenting social media harm to examining the political and institutional systems that shape technology in American life. - The nonprofit is putting digital democracy at the center of its 2027-2028 work as AI, platform accountability and public trust become bigger election issues ahead of 2028. - SMC is also elevating younger voices, arguing that GenZ should have a direct role in shaping the digital systems that affect their future.

What happened: - SMC announced a two-year initiative focused on technology and political accountability ahead of the 2028 presidential election. - The organization said it will continue work on social media harms and youth safety while expanding into public policy, democratic institutions and the role of artificial intelligence. - SMC added two trustees and four NextGen advisors to its leadership and advisory community. - SMC launched a redesigned website at sustainablemedia.center.

The details: - New trustees include Karim Shariff, founder of Majlis Investment Management, and Doug Heske, founder and CEO of Newday Financial Technologies. - New NextGen advisors include Caitlyn Vergara, Rebecca Jolius, Calla Brot and Kayleigh Robertson. - Vergara focuses on child online safety and the impact of digital technology on young people. - Jolius is a Rutgers University graduate with experience in finance, civic engagement and leadership initiatives at JPMorganChase. - Brot works to bring young voices into conversations about technology and civic life. - Robertson is founder of Digital Recovery & Mental Health Centre. - SMC said the appointments reflect an intergenerational approach that connects leaders in technology, business, media and public policy with young advocates. - The new website features Signals: Media. Technology. Democracy., SMC’s newsletter on the information environment and public life. - SMC also hosts weekly SMC Live conversations with researchers, journalists, advocates, policymakers and young leaders.

Between the lines: - SMC is framing its work as a broader democracy issue, not just a technology-policy issue. - The organization is tying social media, AI and election integrity together as part of one accountability fight. - The timing suggests SMC sees the 2028 election as a major test of whether democratic institutions can keep pace with fast-changing technology. - Executive Director Steven Rosenbaum said the group’s experience has shown that harmful practices will not change without elected officials acting, rules changing and companies facing consequences.

What's next: - SMC said it will pursue its 2027-2028 initiative through journalism, research, public education and conversations that bring different perspectives into the debate. - The organization will focus on three priorities: democracy needs trusted facts, products have consequences and the future gets a vote. - SMC plans to keep documenting harms from social media and AI while expanding its public-facing work on democratic accountability.

The bottom line: - SMC is recasting its mission from a fight with Big Tech into a wider campaign over democracy, accountability and who gets to shape the digital future.