Jena Wuu

For too long, digital platforms have felt like a Big Black Box. Content goes in, but what happens next? What choices do people have in shaping what gets seen?

The Opt-In Effect is my framework for helping institutions and subject matter experts participate online with rigor and intention. It's based on my experience building tech platforms and helping experts use them to spread reliable information.

By opening the Big Black Box, I aim to help experts participate online, on their own terms. No pressure to become an influencer. No shame for scrolling or posting online.

Many experts are figuring out digital platforms on their own. But restoring trust needs systemic support -- and regular, small contributions from institutions and experts opting in to the digital ecosystem. 

That's why the Opt-In Effect works on two levels:

I help institutions and subject matter experts in fields like medicine, science, government, and civil service participate online with rigor and intention.

My perspective comes from 20 years of global experience in tech, public policy, and NGOs.

At Meta, I worked with the teams charged with removing misinformation from Facebook and Instagram. But we had a critical problem: there wasn't enough credible content to fill the void. Without reputable experts online, questionable sources and falsehoods quickly filled the gap.

That's when I pitched and got support from Mark Zuckerberg's team to start what would become Meta's global information ecosystem program. Through it, I partnered with governments, UN agencies, universities, and NGOs to deliver reliable public health, science, crisis response, and civic information to over two billion people worldwide. The program grew to a $300 million budget, and became a repeatable model for key moments like COVID-19, elections, and the war in Ukraine.

But I've not just helped organizations digitize their outward communication. I've also driven change within two highly scrutinized companies. After joining Meta post-Cambridge Analytica, I rebuilt the company's policies on political transparency and partnerships. Before that, I led the effort to change workplace culture at Uber through the #deleteUber era, from C-suite engagement to staff policies and driver education. 

These experiences taught me that earning public trust starts from the inside. It needs policy, culture, and infrastructure to sustain and work together.

Why I do this

The days of assuming public trust are over. With our fragmented information landscape and the rise of AI, opting out of the digital world is no longer a sign of principle or neutrality. It's an active choice to let others shape how people understand your field.

As someone who knows these platforms from the inside, let me tell you: you have more say than you might think in what information gets surfaced -- even if all you do is lurk. 

I do this work because I believe that information can save and change lives. Together, we can build a world where everyone can find the information they need from someone they can trust.