Events

How powerful is disinformation today? We have seen disinformation in relation to vaccines, the environment, the January 6th capitol attack, “stolen” elections, and a beloved pizza place in D.C. rumored to be running a pedophilia ring. Is there anything to do about this? This lecture first uses a sociological framework to explain the general conditions under which sound information can be segregated from and preferred to disinformation. It then explores both the technological and policy changes that altered these conditions, starting in the 1960s and then accelerating dramatically in the first quarter of this century. An unanticipated but sociologically predictable effect of these technological and policy changes was that disinformation prospered. The lecture concludes with an interactive discussion and assessment of various countermeasures that have been devised to deal with disinformation. Space is limited.