About

Matt Motyl is a Socio-Technical Systems Scientist and Public Scholar on Technology, Behavior, and Society. He studies how algorithms, platform incentives, and human behavior interact within complex social systems, drawing on nearly two decades of research and applied work in both academia and industry. A former Senior Staff Researcher at Meta, he contributed to the company`s Civic Integrity and Social Responsibility efforts, including improving political content ranking, mitigating political violence in at-risk countries, and leading COVID-19 insights research that informed public health strategies in liaison with the White House Coronavirus Task Force.

Dr. Motyl advises policymakers, civil society organizations, and regulatory bodies on platform governance, and responsible AI development. He has published more than 60 peer-reviewed papers cited more than 21,000 times, contributes to major white papers such as the Knight-Georgetown Institute`s recommender systems report, and regularly communicates socio-technical issues through long-form explainers, interactive educational tools, and documentary appearances.

He currently consults on data, platforms, and recommender systems—including as an expert witness for numerous cases across the United States and the European Union.

This guide was created for the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO) as part of ongoing efforts to improve data literacy and transparency in the digital platform ecosystem.