Empowering Joy, Transforming Lives
I study how social media impacts well-being, mental health, trauma, violence, and joy for youth and adults of color. By combining social work principles, data science, and storytelling, I develop community-centered strategies and computational approaches to support digital grief and healing.
Join me in exploring pathways to resilience, joy, and meaningful connection.
Insightful Research, Empathetic Narratives
Through innovative research and community-based collaborations, I explore how digital spaces shape our emotions, mental health, and capacity to heal. My work bridges communities, science, and storytelling to build tools that uplift and restore.
Storytelling and Joyful Living
I elevate human stories that reflect joy, resilience, and complexity in the face of grief and injustice.
Bridging Communities
I connect researchers, practitioners, and communities to co-create solutions that center healing, dignity, and equity.
Science and Social Justice
I provide actionable insights into how digital interactions influence emotional well-being and trauma, grounded in rigrous interdisciplinary methods.
Inspiring Change Together
I offer dynamic speaking engagements, workshops, and creative collaborations that encourage healing, inclusion, and meaningful change.
The Streets Don't End at the Corner: Gakirah Barnes, Digital Violence, and the Search for Humanity.
“Gakirah Barnes is a decade in the digital streets, showing how grief and conflict move online and how youth can teach us to build AI that protects rather than profiles.”
This book traces ten years of Gakirah Barnes’s life across social media, court files, mourning posts, and community networks. It explores how digital platforms both reflect and amplify grief, conflict, identity, and resistance among young people in Chicago — and reimagines how we might build technology that protects, not profiles, these youth.
Hi, I'm Dr. Desmond Upton Patton
Authentic Leadership, Global Impact
Raised in North Carolina, I’ve become a leading voice on the intersections of AI, social media, and well-being, My work is grounded in empathy, scholarship, and a deep commitment to the well-being of communities of color.
Moments of Joy and Purpose
Explore visuals from my speaking events, workshops, research collaborations, and everyday moments of joy that reflect the heart of my mission. Recent joyplanning workshops with Year Up and Lyft.
Join the Movement
Take the next step—join the waitlist for my upcoming book or book me for your next event. Let’s build a future rooted in care and connection.
Stay Inspired, Stay Informed
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