Jane Esberg Senior Analyst, Social Media & Conflict Please submit all media inquiries to jesberg@crisisgroup.org or call +32 (0) 2 536 00 71 Crisis Group Role As Senior Analyst for Social Media & Conflict, Jane integrates the study of digital technology into Crisis Group's work. Her own research focuses on the role of social media in tracking and shaping criminal and political conflict, primarily in Latin America, including through quantitative and text analysis. Professional Background Jane was previously an Economics of Conflict Fellow with Crisis Group and Princeton University. She received her PhD in political science from Stanford University, where her dissertation used original micro-data to study the relationship between popular support and repression during Chile's authoritarian regime. She has consulted on issues related to digital technology, data, and conflict for the UN Department of Peace Operations and the Open Society Foundation. She is also a Visiting Fellow at Princeton University. Areas of Expertise Social media Technology and war Criminal violence Political violence Quantitative analysis Languages English Spanish Latest Updates Commentary / United States 18 November 2021 What the Facebook Whistleblower Reveals about Social Media and Conflict Former Facebook employee Frances Haugen’s recent testimony before the U.S. Senate reasserted the platform’s role in propagating misinformation that feeds conflict offline. Facebook should do more to reduce the spread of harmful content by revamping its moderation capacities and modifying its algorithm. Commentary / Latin America & Caribbean 13 July 2020 All the President’s Trolls: Real and Fake Twitter Fights in El Salvador The plunging homicide rate in El Salvador has sparked debate about the role of the new president’s hardline policies. Much of it transpires on Twitter, where his champions and critics engage in rows that could pre-empt reasoned discussion of how to keep tamping down violence. Also available in Español Commentary / Latin America & Caribbean 8 May 2020 More than Cartels: Counting Mexico’s Crime Rings The “war on drugs” has not smashed Mexican organised crime but broken it into smaller fragments that fight each other for turf. The sheer difficulty of counting the criminal groups underscores the scale of the government’s challenge in protecting the public. Also available in Español