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In this episode of When Bearing Witness, Dr. Desmond Upton Patton invites us into a conversation about humility, listening, and the ethics of digital storytelling. He shares what he has learned from years of research at the intersection of social work, technology, and racial justice.

And he doesn’t stop at analysis, he challenges us to examine our own assumptions and shows how deep listening can disrupt bias and reshape how we understand digital expression.

A researcher, social worker, and AI ethicist, Dr. Patton explores how grief is often misread as aggression, and how those misreadings can escalate both online and offline violence. But the solutions, he reminds us, are not just technical, they are relational. He offers a model of trauma-informed storytelling rooted in cultural humility, reflexivity, and active listening.

We all bring our own lens to storytelling. But to do this work ethically, especially in nonprofit storytelling and storytelling for social impact, we have to slow down and ask hard questions: Am I the right person to tell this story? What information is missing? Who do I need to engage with, and how do I do that in a trustworthy and ethical way?

About Dr. Desmond Upton Patton

Dr. Desmond Upton Patton is a leading expert at the intersection of social work, technology, and racial justice, known for his groundbreaking research on how social media impacts grief, trauma, and violence in communities of color. A Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor with appointments across social policy, communication, and psychiatry, he developed the Contextual Analysis of Social Media (CASM) to address bias in AI by centering cultural nuance and lived experience. His work has shaped national conversations on digital violence and empathy, informed tech safety policies at companies like Twitter and Spotify, and been featured in The New York Times, Nature, and NPR.

Connect with Dr. Desmond Upton Patton

SafeLab | LinkedIn | BlueSky

About Host Maria Bryan

Maria Bryan is a trauma-informed storytelling trainer. She helps nonprofit leaders tell powerful and impactful stories that resist harm. Maria has over fifteen years in marketing communications in the public sector. She has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration, a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism, and is professionally certified in Trauma & Resilience, Trauma-Informed Space Holding, Trauma-Informed Coaching, and Somatic Embodiment & Regulation. Maria is a firm believer that storytellers make the world a healthier, safer, cleaner, and happier place.

Connect with Maria

Speaking & Training | LinkedIn | Email