About me:

• Full name: Sydney DeMets
• Current location: Seattle, WA
• Professionally: PhD candidate in Information Science. I research the ways that medium alters the diffusion and mutation of false, unverified, and misleading information using methods from computational social science and social network analysis. My most recent work has focused on audio media (podcasts), yet I am presently expanding to include video, short-text, and long-text media as well. I find many strains of false, unverified, and misleading information interesting, yet I am most compelled by rumors in crisis events. I used to model the populations of mosquitos that carry disease.
• Amateurishly: Climbing up mountains. On good days, skiing down them.
• Contact: sdemets@uw.edu

Selected publications and presentations:

• Sydney DeMets, Emma Spiro. “Podcasts in the Periphery: Tracing Guest Trajectories in Political Podcasts”. Social Networks (Forthcoming, April 2025).
• Sydney DeMets, Emma Spiro. “Radio, What’s New? ”Key actors, weak ties, and the spread of disinformation in a podcast network”. International Network for Social Network Analysis Sunbelt (2023)
• Sydney DeMets, Emma Spiro. “Understanding guest entrances into the podcast ecosystem”. NetSci (2023)

Press publications:

• Sydney DeMets. “Tracing the Anti-Establishment Shifts Among Podcasts and the Role of Platforms”. Tech Policy Press (Jan 2, 2025).

Blog posts: (view all)

• Glimpsing cats on my walks.