It's conspiracy season
Last chance for you to register for our book talk this Thursday! Plus discussions about conspiracy & the current landscape of political research on social media.
Last chance- don’t miss this book talk!
Join us this Thursday, February 8th at 3:30 pm in the Freedom Forum Conference Center (or remotely via webinar) as CITAP hosts TJ Billard for a compelling book talk on their "Voices for Transgender Equality: Making Change in the Networked Public Sphere."
This is a unique opportunity to engage with a passionate advocate and gain valuable insights into “an insider's view into transgender activism during the first two years of the Trump administration” (Oxford University Press).
Register now to secure your spot and be part of an important conversation that shapes the future of equality and understanding!
It’s conspiracy season
Francesca Tripodi spoke with the Associated Press about how conspiracy theorists activate the “do it yourself” information seeking method. “It’s allowing people to make them think that they are coming to their own solution, when they are actually more on a scavenger hunt by the people who have engineered these lies.”
Yvonne Eadon discussed how mistrust of the health system can lead toward holistic wellness, and holistic wellness can lead people down the path of conspiracy theories as a result. “There needs to be a gentleness, because when we shame people around their beliefs, we’re pushing them further to the margins.”
Publications and appearances
Nature wrote about how social media could sway elections in 2024, talking to our own Daniel Kreiss, Kate Starbird from the Center for an Informed Public at UW, and Rebekah Tromble from the Institute for Data, Democracy and Politics at GWU.
“But [Maria Elizabeth Grabe] can also feel the effects of political pressure in the United States on the field, and she worries that funders are shying away from research that mentions the word ‘disinformation’ to avoid drawing criticism — or even legal action — from technology companies and other groups.” Daniel spoke to this concern, noting “we’re a pretty robust crew, but what I most worry about is the future of the field and the people coming up without the protections of tenure.”
“What I most worry about is the future of the field and the people coming up without the protections of tenure.”
As the ability for researchers to access data from social media platforms is changing and shifting, so are the methods that those researchers are using to utilize social media as a research landscape. Kate Starbird, from CIP, noted that “we have to learn how to get insights from more limited sets of data and that offers the opportunity for creativity.”
Daniel discussed some of these creative methods, as “some researchers are using qualitative methods such as conducting targeted interviews to study the effects of social media on political behaviour.”
Coming soon
February
February 8th @ 3:30pm in the Freedom Forum Conference Center: CITAP is hosting TJ Billard for a book talk on their “Voices for Transgender Equality”.
Register to join online or join in-person. UNC Students are eligible for CLE credit.
March
March 20th @ 12pm in the Freedom Forum conference Center: UNC Sociology and CITAP are co-hosting speaker, Forrest Stuart. Lunch will be provided! More details to come.